Take My Hand and Show Me the Way
by MJ Duncan
Summary: A smack upside the head from a two-by-four and a mild case of confabulation combine to serve as the perfect catalyst to help JJ and Emily shift their relationship from platonic friendship to something more. *COMPLETE - I MAY EVENTUALLY WRITE MORE FOR THESE TWO, BUT I HAVE NO PLANS TO CONTINUE THIS STORY AT THE MOMENT*
1. Chapter 1

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**Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**Author's Note:** Many, many thanks to my wonderfully codependent email buddy Jade who got Muse distracted with the idea of writing a Criminal Minds fic and then had the grace to stick around and read this thing in bits and pieces, offering kind words of advice, helpful suggestions, and the occasional kick in the ass that was needed to keep things moving after the 'hey, this is a fun idea' feeling disappeared.

**Author's Note, part 2: **Please note the 'Mature' rating on this story. It does contain explicit sexual content between two consenting adult women. If this is not your thing, or you are not of legal age in your country, please go find a different story to read.

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><p><strong>Take My Hand and Show Me the Way<strong>

**By: MJ Duncan**

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><p><strong>...<strong>

**Part One**

**...**

**CHAPTER  
>1<strong>

The sound of a two-by-four making contact with a human skull is surprisingly quiet, more of a hollow _thwump_ than anything else. A little wet, perhaps with a quiet crunch where bone caves under the force of violently swung lumber, but certainly not the loud, explosive sound you would expect from such a devastating connection of bone and wood.

"Fuck! Prentiss is down!" Morgan yelled as he jumped over his partner who had dropped to the dusty, scarred hardwood floor, obviously unconscious from the blow. He paused for a moment as he stood protectively over his partner, surveying the now deserted living room carefully, each of his senses on high alert for another attack when he caught sight of a plaid shirt disappearing around the corner and knew right where the suspect was headed. "He's going out the back, through the kitchen!"

"Go," Aaron Hotchner, who had entered the house from the back door with Rossi before turning into the adjoining dining room, ordered as he dropped to a knee beside his fallen agent, his fingers automatically gliding over the woman's neck in search of a pulse. "Go get him Derek. I'll take care of Emily."

Reid and JJ had taken a route through the open garage that was full of dismantled electronics and stacks of yellowed magazines and came into the house the moment Morgan started yelling. The door from the garage entered directly into the worn, grimy kitchen so JJ immediately caught sight of Jameson Quinn, the unsub they'd been hunting in this quiet fishing hamlet for the last three days, running through the grungy room toward the back door that was standing wide open.

"I see him!" JJ yelled as she took off at a sprint, more determined than ever to take down the man responsible for the murders of seven visiting fishermen.

Spencer Reid followed, but stopped when he was only a few feet into the kitchen, unsure as to what he should do, as he watched JJ take off after the Quinn. "Reid, in the living room, now!" Hotch's voice broke through his confusion and he immediately turned toward his boss' voice.

JJ, having a fast first step that had served her well in her playing days, was racing out the backdoor mere seconds after Quinn. She wasted no time leveling her weapon on the man as she jumped off of the porch and began to give chase, pushing herself to go faster as she raced after the suspect who was making a beeline toward the dense tree line that framed the patchwork lawn. "FBI!" she shouted as she ran, her arm steady, her heartbeat even. She could run for miles before she would lose her breath, she could chase him all day before her aim wavered.

"Give it up Quinn!" Morgan bellowed as he gained ground on JJ and the man she was chasing. He grunted softly as he forced his legs to pump faster, as he drove his feet harder into the ground, desperate catch up to JJ, who had a head start on him, to make sure that he got between her and Quinn. He knew that Emily would shoot him from her hospital bed if he let anything happen to the team's communications liaison, and the big-brother protective side of him wanted nothing more than to take the man down, and take him down hard for the attack on Prentiss.

"Fuck you!" Quinn yelled over his shoulder as he tried to put on an extra burst of speed.

That snarled curse was enough to spur Morgan onward and he found that fifth gear he'd been racing toward as he sprinted past JJ to close that final distance and take the other man down with a perfectly-timed flying tackle. "You're under arrest," he grunted as he pushed his elbow into the man's back, making sure to grind the point into his spine. "You have the right to remain silent. And I sincerely fucking recommend you utilize that right."

Quinn grunted and flailed, spitting as he fought to force the dirt out of his mouth that he had taken a bite out of when the bigger Agent had landed on him. He writhed and fought as his hands were roughly pulled behind his back, but he also understood the unspoken promise of pain in Morgan's voice and wisely opted to shut up.

"Suspect is in custody," JJ reported into her radio as she watched Morgan slap his cuffs onto Quinn and cinch them a notch tighter than was really necessary. Once the line was closed, she turned the full weight of her gaze onto Emily's partner. "I heard you yell, what happened to Em?"

"Big man here," Morgan grunted as he pushed down onto the still wriggling suspect's back, "thought it'd be fun to play t-ball with Prentiss' face. Caught us by surprise as we rounded the corner and smacked her with a two by four."

JJ felt her heart clench in her chest and she had to fight back the suddenly overpowering urge to take her gun back out and shoot the man. "Is she awake?"

Morgan shook his head. "She was unconscious when I left her," he shared. He looked up at the blonde, easily reading the distress and anger in her sparking blue eyes. "I got this, go check on our girl."

Wanting nothing more than to check on Emily, JJ did not argue with him. Instead, she gave him a small, thankful smile and a curt nod before she turned on her heel to run back into the house. Adrenaline combined with her training had made her take off after the suspect, outright fear and terror had her sprinting back toward Emily. She was so focused on getting to Emily that she barely noticed Rossi and the local cops as she passed them, the entirety of her focus was leveled on finding the dark-haired woman who had occupied her dreams for months and making sure that she would be okay.

"Where is he?" Reid asked as she thundered into the old house, her footsteps falling loudly against the old wood floors as she hit the dining room. She never slowed until she could see Emily, and, even then, her gait only slowed to a hurried walk as she approached the spot where the brunette lay unmoving on the floor.

She crouched down beside her fallen friend, her eyes raking over Emily's injuries. The right side of the brunette's face was already purple and swollen with a distinct red line cutting across her brow and up over her forehead which JJ assumed was from the edge of the board Jameson Quinn had used to knock her unconscious. "Derek's got him," she answered distractedly as she ran her fingers softly over the curve of Emily's brow, gently moving dark silk away from seeping crimson as she studied the wound. "I passed Rossi and some of the local PD when I was coming back inside. They're probably frog marching him out to a cruiser now. Where's Hotch?"

"Clearing upstairs. I already called for a bus," Reid informed her as he watched her appraising the extent of Prentiss' injury. "Two, actually, just in case we find Zach."

"Good thinking," JJ murmured as she let her fingers rest upon Emily's lips, drawing strength from the feeling of warm air moving against her fingertips. Emily was breathing. Emily would be okay.

Emily had to be okay.

"I got him!" Hotch's triumphant voice echoed down the stairs. JJ and Reid shared a look of relief, and she nodded at him to go upstairs to help their boss.

"Where's the downed agent?" a bodiless voice called out from the foyer.

"Living room!" JJ yelled as she looked up to watch the paramedics approach. "There is also a victim upstairs with Agent Hotchner and Dr. Reid."

"Got it," the younger of the two men confirmed as he took off up the stairs to find the agents.

"What happened?" the older, sandy-haired paramedic asked as he dropped to a knee beside Emily and wasted no time taking her vitals.

"The suspect ambushed her with a two by four," JJ shared as she watched the medic slip a penlight out of his breast pocket to check Emily's pupil response.

"Any other injuries other than the head wound that we need to know about?"

"No," JJ answered. "No preexisting medical conditions, no allergies to medications."

"Alright," the paramedic said as he reached into his bag to retrieve a neck brace. "I'm assuming you've had basic field medic training. Can you help hold her head as still as possible while I fit this?" he asked as he turned toward JJ for the first time.

JJ's eyes automatically flicked down to read the medic's nametag, Thompson, and nodded as she moved from Emily's side to above her head. She gently cradled Emily's head in her hands as she watched him fit the white plastic brace around Emily's neck.

"Is she going to be okay?" she asked, as she watched him lean in closer to have a good look at Emily's wound.

"Hard to tell. Depends on if there's any intracranial bleeding," he told her honestly. "I've pulled people out of car wrecks that have looked worse that did just fine, so I'm optimistic," he replied as he began cleaning the area around the cut.

JJ stayed by her head as he continued to take care of Emily, feeling tears build in her eyes as he checked off some of the brunette's potential injuries. Part of her was glad that he was including her, but a larger part of her wished that he'd just shut up. The details were scary.

"Grade three concussion," he rattled on, "looks like a possible break on the zygomatic bone, definite break on the inferior orbital rim, from what I can tell that's where the board first made contact so that area took the majority of the force."

"Oh god," JJ murmured as she followed Thompson's pointing finger toward Emily's cheek.

"Frontal bone looks intact," he continued as if she had not spoken. "Breathing is even… heartbeat is regular… all things considered she's doing as well as could be expected."

"Unit oh six on scene," Thompson's radio crackled to life causing the medic's weathered face to break out into a relieved grin. "Thank god," he muttered. "Billy, is that you?"

"Yeah," the voice answered.

"Great. John is upstairs with two agents and the victim. We're going to need all hands on deck."

"Got it."

"Hank?" a voice called from the foyer.

"Finally," Thompson sighed, as he looked up and offered JJ a reassuring smile. "Living room Charlie."

Charlie bounced the stretcher topped with a backboard and yet another bag of supplies over the uneven planks of the floor and dropped the bed to its lowest setting as he came to a stop beside Emily.

"Help me get her on the board," Thompson instructed before he began rattling off the details of Emily's injury as he moved to Emily's side. "Do you still have her?" he asked JJ as he placed his left hand on Emily's thigh and his right on her side in preparation to roll her up enough to slide the bright yellow backboard under her.

JJ nodded. "Yes." _Always._

"Good, on three," Thompson instructed. "One… two… three, easy now," he murmured as JJ stabilized Emily's head and Charlie slid the board into position. "Good," he muttered as they settled Emily into the center of the board. "Alright, let's get her secured."

JJ refused to leave her position at Emily's head, her fingers smoothing over the brunette's face distractedly as she watched the paramedics begin strapping Emily to the rigid slab of plastic with four fat straps of Velcro across her body. Foam blocks were stuck to the board on either side of her head to keep it still and the head strap was tightened over those so that the abrasive fabric did not come into contact with Emily's head.

Just as the last strap was cinched into place, Reid and Hotch appeared at the top of the stairs with Zachary Paulson standing between them. The young, wiry fisherman had a hand on each of the agent's arms for support and the paramedic JJ assumed to be John was standing behind them keeping a careful eye on the victim. "Thank god," JJ murmured as she took in the sight of the man they had been working to save for the last seventy-two hours.

"Well done," Thompson muttered as he smiled at the sight of the missing fisherman before he turned his attention back to the agent under his care. "Let's get her up onto the stretcher Charlie, you ready?"

Charlie nodded and JJ held her breath as she stood and backed away to allow the paramedics to move Emily. She chewed her lip to keep herself from warning the paramedics to be careful as she watched the two men carefully lift Emily onto the stretcher. She only let the breath out once they started buckling her onto the gurney.

"We're taking her to Memorial," Thompson informed them as he snapped the stretcher up to its full height.

JJ nodded as she moved in closer to place her hand on Emily's stomach as she watched Hotch guide Zachary Paulson toward the new paramedic team that had just raced up the walk and into the house. "I'm going with her."

"Ma'am," Charlie started to argue, but the moment he saw the fire sparking in JJ's fierce blue eyes he knew that his arguments would mean nothing to her. He'd seen that look before, the nearly rabid, fiercely protective look that people got when the person they loved was injured, and knew that he could argue with her seven ways until Sunday and she would still jump into the back whether they wanted her to or not. "Okay."

JJ nodded and turned to look at Hotch when she felt his hand land lightly on her shoulder. "We're going back to the precinct with Quinn. Call us when you know something. We'll be there as soon as we can."

JJ nodded again and turned her attention back to Thompson. "Let's go!"

"I called ahead already, they're expecting us," Charlie shared as the two men got the stretcher moving toward the front door with JJ following closely behind.

"You have to be okay, Emily," she murmured to herself as she watched the paramedics roll her friend toward the open, waiting bay of the ambulance. She stood back and watched as the guys got the stretcher locked into the back and as soon as they gave her the okay, she hopped up into the back and immediately took her position beside Emily, reflexively reaching out to cradle the brunette's hand in her own.

"She should be fine," Thompson assured her as he busied himself with starting a line.

"She better be," JJ husked as she looked down at their joined hands and began to gently rub the pad of her thumb over Emily's knuckles.

"Mmmm," Emily's soft voice punctuated the quiet that had fallen over the cab as the ambulance raced toward the hospital.

"What's that?" JJ yelped as she looked from Emily, whose eyes were still closed, to the paramedic who had pulled out his penlight and was checking the brunette's pupil dilation.

"Active REM," he reported as he watched deep brown eyes flicking wildly from side to side. "She's dreaming."

"Dreaming?" JJ repeated.

The paramedic shrugged. "It's not uncommon, and it's actually a good sign."

"Two minutes," Charlie's voice called over the speaker.

JJ turned her attention back to her hand wrapped protectively around Emily's. "What are you dreaming about Em?"


	2. Chapter 2

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**CHAPTER  
>2<strong>

She smiled as her fingertips slid easily over the smooth fabric of JJ's dress to wrap around the beaming blonde's hips and pull her in closer as the music began to play softly in the background. The majority of their guests had already said their goodbyes and left, leaving them alone on the dance floor, clinging to each other, swaying to the music the five-piece band was playing for them. The day had been perfect, everything that they had hoped for and more, and now they were enjoying their last dance of the evening before they headed out to their private bungalow on the beach.

She brushed her lips against a rosy cheek en route to JJ's ear, holding the blonde tight as she whispered, "I love you so very much, Jennifer."

Her heart took flight in her chest as she felt JJ pull back so that the blonde's silky-soft lips ghosted over her own. "I love you too, Em."

She moaned softly as Jennifer's lips descended upon her own, her grip on the blonde's trim hips tightening as the kiss grew from soft and adoring to deep, hungry, and full of desire. The music filling the small hall disappeared as she became focused on the way JJ's lithe body molded to her own, as she lost awareness of everything beyond the taste and smell of her wife.

"How did I get so lucky?" she murmured, her voice full of awe, as JJ pulled back to look at her.

"Babe, trust me, you haven't gotten lucky yet," JJ husked, her twinkling blue eyes growing noticeably darker with desire.

She could not help but smile at her lover's words. "Yeah," she teased, running one hand down to grasp Jennifer's ass while she ran the other over the string of buttons running along the blonde's spine. "But how long is it going to take me to get all these buttons open? Couldn't even give me a break on our wedding day, huh Ms. Jareau?"

"Mmm," JJ hummed, smiling as she leaned in to lay a chaste kiss to her lips. "It's Mrs. Prentiss, thank you. And I did make it easy on you, love. The buttons are for show, there's a zipper hidden underneath the seam."

"God I love modern tailoring," she hummed as she immediately dipped a finger under the seam to check for herself. Sure enough, there was a zipper track hidden under the fabric. "I would hate to just tear this beautiful dress off of you."

She shivered as JJ's hands slipped down off her shoulders to palm her breasts through the material of her jacket. "I wouldn't mind," the blonde purred seductively.

She licked her lips as she studied the woman in her arms for a moment, savoring the feeling and the knowledge that JJ was hers forever before she leaned in and claimed the blonde's lips in a searing, soul deep kiss. One kiss turned into two, turned into twenty, and somehow, without either of them really knowing how, they found themselves in the moonlit bedroom of their bungalow.

She smiled lovingly into JJ's twinkling blue eyes as she flipped the tab of the zipper to the blonde's dress out of its hiding spot and began to pull it down slowly, tooth by tooth, reveling in the emotion she could see swirling in her wife's eyes. "I can't believe you're mine," she murmured as she dipped her head to claim JJ's lips in a slow, languorous kiss. The zipper she had been releasing hit its end and she took a small step back to allow the gown to puddle at her wife's feet. "My god you're beautiful Jennifer," she murmured as she drank in the sight of JJ, Jennifer, her wife, standing before her in a surprisingly seductive lingerie set complete with garter belt and thigh high stockings.

"You like?" JJ asked playfully as she looked down at herself as if she weren't too sure about the ensemble.

"I love," she corrected as she took that step back toward her wife and gathered the younger woman in her arms. "I love this," she ran her hands down the blonde's back, brushing her fingers over lacy lingerie indicatively. "I love you," she murmured as she allowed her eyes to drop to JJ's lips that were already swollen from their earlier kisses and parted, waiting in anticipation for her. "For the rest of my life, until my very last breath, I love you," she swore.

JJ's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, struck breathless, as she often was, by the brunette's eloquence.

"And longer than that, if the schematics for the regeneration capsule Reid and I are working on are successful," she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Which it did perfectly.

"My god, Emily!" JJ laughed.

She wrapped her arms around her wife and held her close. "You are my life, Jennifer Jean Prentiss," she stated, smiling like a fool at the sound of her last name attached to JJ's. "Without you, I am nothing. Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the universe."

"Wow," JJ breathed, and she shivered slightly as the blonde's hot breath tickled her neck. "I love you too, Em."

She smiled and ran her hands over the delicious swell of her wife's ass, delighting in the juxtaposition of textured lace and silky smooth skin. She gathered the perfect globes in her hands and squeezed them gently. "Can I show you how much I love you?"

JJ looked up into her eyes and smiled. "You better."

She was helpless to contain the moan that tumbled from her lips as she leaned in and kissed her wife hungrily.

+++/+++\+++

"She's moaning again," JJ pointed out as she watched the Emergency room doctors transfer Emily from the paramedic's stretcher onto a rolling hospital bed.

One of the doctors surrounding Emily, a redheaded woman who introduced herself as Doctor Harrison, pulled a penlight from her pocket and quickly checked the agent's pupils. "Still dreaming. Hank said she was making some noise in the bus on the way here too?"

JJ nodded. "Yeah. I just hope she's not in too much pain."

"Well," the woman replied, "it sounded like a happy moan to me, so hopefully whatever she's dreaming about is a good thing," she offered, hoping to ease some of the blonde's obvious distress. "Jack, we all set for the MRI?"

"Yeah," a harried looking intern answered. "Just like you asked. We have the machine waiting on us."

"Great," Doctor Harrison replied. "Let's get her back there then. Agent Jareau, you'll have to wait out here. Do you have her MPA?"

JJ shook her head. "I'm having our team's technical analyst send it over now, but I'm her designated medical power of attorney. Where should I wait?"

"Good. As soon as it gets here, we'll add it to her file. Jackie can show you to the waiting area, the test we need to run will take at least an hour."

"Okay," JJ whispered. "Can I talk to her for a second?" she asked, tilting her head at Emily.

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "But you're going to have to walk with us. You have until we hit the swinging doors, after that it's hospital personnel only. I want to get her into the MRI as fast as possible to assess the damage."

"Thank you," JJ whispered as she moved between the doctors to whisper in Emily's ear. "You're strong, Em, you can beat this. There is so much I want to tell you, so much I should have told you. Come back to me," she murmured quietly, so quietly that her words were barely louder than a breath. She pressed a soft kiss to Emily's brow and backed away, wiping her tears away with a shaking hand as she watched them roll Emily down the hall.

+++/+++\+++

She spotted JJ the moment she entered the kitchen. The blonde was standing at the window, nursing her single cup of caffeinated coffee that she was allowed and looking out over the backyard, watching the day break over the eastern horizon. Even thirty-five weeks pregnant with twins, she was an image to behold.

"Good morning gorgeous," she murmured as she slid in behind her wife and wrapped her arms around and under the blonde's swollen belly. "How are my three favorite people doing this morning?"

"Thing One and Thing Two have finally stopped fighting with each other and gone back to sleep, I'd assume, by the peace and quiet in there; and, as for me, I'm tired."

"You're beautiful," she countered, smiling as JJ tilted her head back to look at her. "You are. I can't believe this isn't a dream."

"Mmm," JJ hummed, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Trust me, not a dream. I was having a rather spectacular dream before these two," she rubbed her belly affectionately, "woke me up."

The look in her wife's eyes was unmistakable. "Who was in this rather spectacular dream?"

JJ smiled and kissed her softly. "You. And me."

She smiled and captured her wife's lips in a little bit deeper, definitely hungrier kiss. "Anybody else?"

"Nope."

"Well, then since it was just the two of us, if you tell me about it maybe I can make it happen," she suggested with a smile, knowing that Jennifer's pregnancy cravings tended to run toward more carnal activities than anything else.

She grinned as JJ spun in her arms, the blonde's pregnant belly forcing them far enough apart that she could really look at her wife. _How in the world did I get so goddamn lucky? _

"We were in bed," JJ husked softly, watching her closely, delighting in her reaction. "Naked."

"I see," she nodded. "Were we doing anything in particular?"

"Well, I was doing quite a bit of moaning," JJ husked. "And you were doing that _thing_ with your tongue that you know I just love. Think you can recreate that?"

She literally whimpered at JJ's words and nodded. "Absolutely. Your wish, my command."

+++/+++\+++

"Did she say something?" the MRI tech asked, looking up at Doctor Harrison for confirmation as the second scan finished to show a clear image of the front of Emily's skull. Hank Thompson, the paramedic who treated her on scene, was correct when he guessed that she had a fracture to her inferior orbital rim, and his suspicions about her zygomatic arch proved to be correct as well. "Damn, how does he always know the breaks before we get the films?" he muttered

"She's been making some noises off and on since she got here," Doctor Harrison replied as she studied the picture and let out a small sigh of relief. So far, no major brain damage was visible. "The Agent who rode in with her said that she started doing it in the bus on the way here," she elaborated as she listened to the _thwumping _start back up as the next scan began. "And," she smiled, "I don't have a clue of how he always seems to know, especially on head injuries like this, but he's usually right. Eerie, isn't it?"

"Damn freaky, if you ask me," the tech responded. "Do you think she'll stay out while she's in there?" he asked, tilting his head toward the other room where the patient was now fully encased in the white plastic tube.

"We'll see. I would rather she woke up just because the longer she stays out the greater chance there is of her having some serious trauma," Doctor Harrison replied. "She'll wake up when she's ready. I just hope it's soon."

+++/+++\+++

"Emily!" JJ's slightly panicked voice echoed through the house.

She looked up from the sandwiches she was preparing and, noting the edge to her wife's tone, immediately dropped the knife she'd been using and hurried out to the living room where she'd left JJ on the couch. She wiped her hands off on her jeans as she half-walked, half-ran through the dining room until she was finally able to catch sight of her wife. "What's going on, baby?"

JJ grimaced and placed a hand over her belly. "The babies are happening. I think my water just broke."

"Oh." She nodded. "OH! CRAP! Okay, right, let's get to the hospital," she said as she turned toward the door.

"EMILY ELIZABETH PRENTISS!"

She spun around wildly at the frantic edge to JJ's voice. "What?"

"Help, please?" JJ asked with a teasing smile in spite of her pain. She always loved watching her normally cool and composed wife act anything but.

"Right, I'm an ass," she murmured as she ran back to take JJ's arm and help the blonde up off the couch. "Sorry, Jennifer," she murmured as she gently led her laboring wife through the house toward the garage.

"You're cute when you're flustered, Em," JJ laughed until a contraction hit and she doubled over in pain.

"Jennifer?" she squeaked, half in concern for her wife's well being, half because the blonde's fingernails were digging painfully deep into her arm.

"It's okay," JJ huffed as she straightened back up. "Wow, I knew they would hurt, but that… I think I want the drugs, Em."

"Whatever you want Sweetie," she agreed quickly. Anything to keep her wife from suffering. _Maybe I can get some for me too._

Once she got JJ settled as comfortably as she could in the passenger's seat she hurried back into the house to grab their 'baby-go-bags' that they'd purchased and filled for just this occasion. She chucked them into the back of her Range Rover she could not help but grin, even though her heart was pounding so fast in her chest that she thought it might literally burst from her chest.

"We're going to be moms," she murmured to herself as she slammed the hatch closed.

+++/+++\+++

"Her heart rate is spiking," the tech announced worriedly as he studied the wounded Agent's vitals on the small screen beside the monitor showing the different views the MRI machine was gathering. "Breathing, blood pressure, all of it."

Doctor Harrison read through the numbers quickly before she leaned over the tech's shoulder to look out the window into the MRI chamber. She could see that the wounded agent was still unconscious. "She's not in the danger zone yet," she clipped. "This is the last scan, right?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "All right. How many minutes left on it?"

"Two."

"I want this picture," Doctor Harrison murmured, almost to herself as she let her gaze bounce back and forth from her patient to the woman's vitals and back again. "Let's see if we can finish this scan. If her numbers get too high I'll go in and pull her out, but for now she's doing okay."

"You got it," the tech muttered as he watched the last picture come into focus with every _thwump_ of the machine in the other room.

"Just in case though," Doctor Harrison sighed and reached for the phone. "Yeah," she snapped into the handset once the nurse on the other end picked up. "No alarm necessary, but I want a crash cart brought to MRI."

+++/+++\+++

"Goddamn it," she seethed as she wove through the typical DC traffic. "Get out of the way!" she shouted at the car in front of her, as she literally had to fight the urge to lay on the horn.

"Em," JJ drawled. She was between contractions at the moment and torn between being amused with her wife's antics and wanting to reach over and smack the brunette upside the head. "We have time, Sweetheart. Just let the nice civilians live and we'll be at the hospital in a few minutes."

She ground her teeth together as she was forced to stop at a red light. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're so freaking cute," JJ answered. "Relax Prentiss, they're not coming right this minute. We'll be fine."

"You better be," she murmured as she reached across the center console to cradle her wife's face in her palm. "I love you," she swore softly as she stared deep into Jennifer's eyes.

"Love you too, babe," JJ whispered. "Now, go."

"What?"

JJ pointed at the traffic light. "Green means go."

"Oh, right!"

+++/+++\+++

"Done," the tech reported.

"Excellent. Get her out of there," Doctor Harrison ordered as she bolted from the control room to get a hands-on look at her patient.

She had her stethoscope in her ears before the table holding Agent Prentiss had even come to a full stop. She gave the woman a quick once-over just to double-check that she wasn't in any major distress, and as soon as she was convinced that the brunette was doing as well as could be expected she called for the tech to help her get the woman back onto the bed that they could wheel into a private room. So far there did not look to be any reason to send the agent to ICU, so for now they would place her in a private room and just monitor her closely.

+++/+++\+++

"Told you we'd make it in time." JJ smirked as she reclined back onto the bed after the anesthesiologist had finished administering her epidural.

She grinned a little self-consciously and nodded. "As always, you were correct."

"Are you sucking up to me because I'm in labor?"

"Absolutely."

"Smart woman," the anesthesiologist laughed as he made his way out of the room. "You'll feel the drugs start to work in a few minutes," he told JJ. "Good luck. The nurse will call me if there are any problems."

"Thank you," JJ answered. "We're going to be moms," the blonde thought aloud as she watched her dark haired wife move closer.

"We are," she murmured. "You ready for this?"

"I'm ready to meet them," JJ answered.

She smiled and leaned in to kiss her wife softly. "Me too. I love you so very much for doing this Mrs. Prentiss."

JJ smiled. "I love you too, Mrs. Prentiss."

+++/+++\+++

"She has two fractures. On her zygomatic arch and then on her inferior orbital rim," Doctor Harrison reported to JJ who stood silently beside Emily's bed, one hand wrapped around the brunette's and one hand lightly stroking the uninjured side of the woman's face. "Basically, a broken cheek," she simplified what she'd just said in case the Agent was not fluent in human skull anatomy. "Her scans look good though."

JJ took a deep breath and asked the one question that was weighing heaviest on her mind. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"She has a serious concussion," Doctor Harrison replied. "The swelling of her brain on her MRIs seems within safe limits though so I'm not too terribly concerned about that. As with any brain injury though, we won't know exactly what's going on until she wakes up. Which will be when she's ready," she continued, seeing that the agitated blonde was about to press for a more definite answer. "I don't know when that will be, but judging from her vitals it could be any time now. Just sit with her, talk to her, let her know that you're here for her, and when she does wake-up call the nurse and she'll page me immediately."

"Okay." JJ nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

"My pleasure," Doctor Harrison assured her. "Thank you two for coming up here to catch that guy. Now, I'll leave you two alone. Talk to her, remind her why she needs to wake up."

+++/+++\+++

"I hate you Emily Prentiss!" JJ screamed as she pushed through another contraction. She was halfway through delivering the first of the twins, and the drugs were not helping nearly as much as she had hoped they would.

She just gritted her teeth and took the pain as her wife's nails dug into her arm. "Breathe baby, come on Jen, you can do this," she replied evenly, knowing that her wife did not truly hate her.

"Don't patronize me, you did this to me and you damn well know it!"

The doctor looked up at her and smiled. "Really?"

"Goddamn syringe full of sperm," JJ grunted as she forced her body into another agonizing crunch.

"Head's out," the doctor reported, trying hard not to laugh at JJ's outburst. "Come on Jennifer…"

"Don't call me Jennifer," JJ snapped. "Only she calls me Jennifer and right now even she's not allowed to do it."

"Sorry," the doctor replied evenly, knowing better than to argue with a laboring mother. "JJ, the head is out. One more big push and we'll be able to welcome this little one into the world."

She leaned in close and brushed her lips across her wife's sweaty brow. "Come on Sweetie, I know you can do this. One more big push. On three?"

"Fine." JJ nodded. "One… two… three… AAAAAH FUCK!"

"Congratulations," the doctor smiled as he guided the baby out and cradled it in his hands. "It's a girl."

She looked up as a tiny scream filled the room. "A daughter," she murmured, a huge smile lighting her face as she turned to her obviously already exhausted wife. "We have a little girl."

"A girl," JJ smiled as she leaned back against her pillows to rest.

"Emily?" the doctor called her attention.

"Yes?"

"You want to cut the cord?"

She grinned. "Absolutely."

+++/+++\+++

"The doctor says I'm supposed to talk to you," JJ whispered as she hooked a leg of the rather uncomfortable visitor's chair with her foot and pulled it closer. "Like that's an easy thing to do," she chuckled as she lowered herself to a sitting position and looked up at her friend.

She twined her fingers with Emily's and studied the way they fit together, unable to keep from thinking that they fit just as perfectly as she'd imagined they would. She took a deep, shaky breath and lifted Emily's hand to her mouth so she could press a soft kiss to the brunette's knuckles.

"Please wake up Emily," she murmured as she set their hands back down on top of the thin hospital blanket. "I had promised myself that after this case I would try and find the courage to tell you how I feel and now you're lying here and I am so afraid that I may be too late. I need you to wake up, Em, so that I can embarrass myself properly, with your full attention. Come on Sweetie, open those beautiful brown eyes and look at me," she cajoled softly.

+++/+++\+++

"Here we go again!" JJ gasped as the contractions started up again. "Why the fuck couldn't I have had a c-section?"

"You didn't want one," she answered automatically, smiling hesitantly when JJ's flashing blue eyes focused on hers. "Love you."

"I love you too, but I am never doing this again," JJ grunted as she automatically curled around her stomach to begin pushing again.

"This little one's hopefully going to come a little easier for you," the doctor offered. "Do you have a name picked out for your daughter already?"

"Yes," she answered, looking down at JJ for the blonde's agreement that their earlier decision still stood. "Zoie Jean."

"Beautiful," the doctor smiled up at them. "Okeydokey JJ, I can see the top of the head, so give me two good pushes and we'll see if we can't get this one out to meet you two as well."

"You can do it Jennifer," she encouraged her wife gently. "Let's meet Zoie's brother or sister."

JJ nodded and bore down, giving the doctor the two solid pushes he said that it would take and before long there was a loud cry punctuating the second baby's arrival.

"Congratulations, it's a boy," the doctor reported as he clamped off the cord and handed her the scissors again.

"A boy," she murmured, her voice awed and her eyes teary as she looked at her son for the first time.

"Welcome to the world Sean Ryan," JJ murmured.

She cut the cord and handed the doctor back the scissors as she watched a nurse swoop in to take him away to be weighed, measured, and all the normal things babies have to endure when they first enter the world. Now that she was no longer needed at JJ's bedside she was torn between staying with her wife, and following their children. "What do I do?"

JJ laughed softly. "You come give me a kiss, and then you keep an eye on the kids."

She smiled and leaned in to capture her wife's lips in a deep, loving kiss that said better than words ever could exactly how happy she was, and how much she loved her. "You are an amazing woman Jennifer," she murmured before she reclaimed her wife's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," JJ laughed. "Watch over the kids Em, I'll be here waiting for you once they get all cleaned up."


	3. Chapter 3

.

..

...

**CHAPTER  
>3<strong>

JJ jumped as her cell phone started to vibrate in her pocket. Since Emily was on a regular floor she did not see need to keep it off completely, but she set it to the silent notification so that way it would not ring and disturb anybody else on the floor. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was the team's self-proclaimed 'Technical Goddess of Quantico', Penelope Garcia.

"Hey Pen," she answered in a hushed whisper as she turned her focus back onto Emily who was still out to the world.

_"How's our brown-eyed girl doing?"_

JJ sighed heavily and frowned. "The doctor seemed to be okay with her test results, but she still hasn't woken up yet," she reported, not bothering to try and hide her unease. Penelope was the one that she vented to, so the quirky computer guru knew exactly how she felt about the stoic brunette.

_"I'm sure she's just waiting for her one true love to give her a kiss to wake up,"_ Pen quipped. _"Have you tried laying a big ol' smackeroo on those pouty lips?"_

"Penelope," JJ groaned, smiling in spite of herself. "Not on her lips."

_"Whoa there, sweetness. That answer implies that you did lay one on her. Where was that, pray tell?"_

"You are hopeless," JJ grumbled. "Her forehead, right before they took her back."

Pleased to hear the smile in her friend's voice, Penelope started to dig for details. She might be unflinchingly loyal to JJ, but she also had a rather large soft spot for the guarded brunette. _"What're the results?"_

"Broken cheek, basically," JJ summarized. "And a major concussion, obviously. The doctor said that there wasn't any significant brain swelling to be concerned about at this point and that we're just waiting for her to wake up."

_"How's she look?"_

JJ drew a ragged breath as she looked over Emily's bruised and battered face. The brunette's right eye was swollen shut and the gash on her forehead that required stitches was taped up. She was still beautiful, she would always be beautiful to her, but she was certainly the worse for wear at this point. "She's just… Pen… I…"

_"Shh,"_ Penelope soothed. _"Okay. I'll pass the word on to the guys and you stay strong for our girl. I'll have Morgan call you when they're on their way. What room is she in?"_

"Three twenty four."

"Jennifer?" Emily rasped softly from the bed.

"She's waking up," JJ reported into her phone. "I'll call you later," she continued before she hung up distractedly. She popped up from her chair too look Emily in the eye as she took hold of Emily's left hand with one of her own. "Hey, Em," she whispered, pleased to see a somewhat glassy looking brown eye staring back at her. She smiled warmly at her friend as she hit the call button for the nurse.

"Hey." Emily smiled as she gave JJ's hand a gentle squeeze. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

Emily shook her head and winced as the movement caused her headache to pulse viciously and a wave of vertigo to roll over her. "Whoa."

"Easy there," JJ murmured as she smoothed a hand over Emily's brow, carefully avoiding the brunette's stitches. "Quinn used a two by four to play baseball with your face," she explained.

"That would explain the headache," Emily grunted as she looked around the typically sterile hospital room. "Did we find the missing fisherman? How long was I unconscious?"

"I see our brave FBI Agent is awake," Doctor Harrison drawled with a smile as she strode purposefully into the room. She caught JJ's questioning gaze so she explained, "I was standing at the nurses' station when you buzzed so I figured I'd come check on you two myself."

Emily offered the doctor a small, tired smile, watching as the woman flipped her chart open.

"Do you remember your name?" Doctor Harrison asked as she clicked her pen open and prepared to take notes.

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss."

"Good," the doctor murmured as she scribbled in the chart. "Do you know the date?"

"March twenty fourth, two thousand and eleven," Emily answered.

"Good." Doctor Harrison nodded as she made another note in Emily's chart. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not really." Emily frowned. "My wife hasn't been too much trouble, has she? She hates when the kids or I get hurt."

JJ's head snapped around so fast she was certain that she would have whiplash. "Wife?" she murmured. _Kids?_

Doctor Harrison looked from Emily to JJ as she realized what was going on. "Agent Jareau," she started, choosing to ignore the frown that her patient shot her, "can I speak to you in the hall?"

"Of course," JJ replied. "Em, I'm going to go talk to the doctor for a second, okay?"

"Alright Baby," Emily agreed hesitantly. "I love you."

_I love you too_, JJ thought, but did not say aloud. Now was not the time for such a confession. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Emily sighed and closed her eyes.

JJ gently pulled her hand away from Emily's and made her way across the small private room to the hall. She closed the door after herself, effectively blocking Emily from hearing the conversation the doctor obviously wanted to have with her out of the brunette's earshot.

"I take it from the look on your face that you are not her wife," Doctor Harrison said.

JJ chewed the corner of her lower lip and shook her head slowly. "No I'm not."

"So there are no kids."

JJ nodded. "No. No kids."

"Okay," Doctor Harrison sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, then it would appear that Agent Prentiss may be suffering from amnesia."

"I thought amnesia was when you forgot things."

"It is," Doctor Harrison agreed. "But, in this case, Emily's symptom seems to be confabulation – false recollections, or false memories."

"So what do we do?" JJ asked as she glanced toward the closed door to Emily's room. She could see that the brunette was now sitting up in the bed and watching them carefully through the tiny rectangular window set in the door. She smiled reassuringly at Emily for a moment before she turned her back to the door and forced her attention back onto Emily's doctor.

"I expect this will be a temporary condition. Agent Prentiss' films do not show a significant amount of swelling, I am hopeful that when what little swelling she does have goes down that this symptom will disappear."

"Do I correct her?" she asked as she again glanced at Emily through the window in the door. She was relieved to see that Emily had laid back down and was no longer sitting up and watching them.

Doctor Harrison bounced her head from side to side, as she frowned thoughtfully. "It depends on how you think she'll react. Some patients get extremely agitated when their false memories are challenged, some get upset, some…"

"So what do I do?" JJ interrupted.

"It's up to you and how you think she'll react," Doctor Harrison answered. "The key here is to keep her calm so that she doesn't aggravate her head injury. You know her better than we do, especially if she thinks you're her wife."

"I wish," JJ muttered sardonically before she caught sight of the doctor grinning at her. "I mean… it's not…"

"Hey, don't feel the need to explain it to me," the redhead held her hands up defensively. "Just take care of her. It's hard to say for sure, but I don't expect this little stage will last too terribly long. Keep her quiet, and _hopefully_ the swelling will go down so that she's back to normal – memory wise – soon. Then we just have to worry about the breaks and the more typical concussion recovery issues."

"Okay," JJ sighed. "Thank you, Doctor."

"No problem. Don't hesitate to page a nurse if you need anything. I'll let them know that visiting hours don't apply to you or the rest of your team, and that you are allowed to stay the night with her if you want to. The bigger chair in the corner of the room folds out to a cot, if you decide you don't want to leave her," she offered knowingly, having picked up on the depth of the blonde's attachment to the wounded woman when they first rolled through the emergency room doors.

"Thank you," JJ repeated.

"Again, my pleasure." Doctor Harrison smiled. "If she does fall asleep, she cannot sleep for longer than an hour at a time due to her concussion. Do you want to wake her up every hour or should I have a nurse pop in to do it?"

JJ, having no intention of leaving Emily's side while she was in the hospital, replied, "I can do it."

Doctor Harrison nodded. "I thought you might want to do it yourself. If you decide to try and get some sleep as well, just let the nurses know and they'll pop in to wake her up so you can rest."

"Standard routine then. No problem. I'll make sure to let the nurses know if I decide to catch a nap," she assured the doctor. Unfortunately she and the team were well versed in how to handle concussions, so she knew pretty much everything the doctor had just told her.

"I'll check back in before I leave tonight."

JJ nodded before she opened the door quietly, half hoping that Emily had fallen back asleep so that she wouldn't be faced with the decision to correct the woman or not; but, as she stepped into the room she saw that Emily was looking right at her with a soft smile and a look in her eye that was pure adoration.

_Fuck._

"What did the doctor have to say?" Emily asked as she watched JJ pause in the doorway.

"Um…" JJ stalled as she tried to figure out how to react to Emily's false memories. She did not want to just play along and feed the delusions, because that is what they were, really, but at the same time, she just did not have the heart to shoot Emily down completely. "Just that they want to keep you overnight to monitor your concussion," she lied, as she finally decided that careful evasion would be the best way to handle this.

"Oh." Emily nodded slowly. "Okay. I'm sorry."

JJ frowned and crossed the room to perch herself lightly on the edge of Emily's bed. "Why are you sorry?" she asked softly.

"I don't know." Emily shrugged as she reached out and twined their fingers together. "For getting hurt."

"Em, it wasn't your fault."

"Still, I'm sorry if I worried you. Lord knows I'd be absolutely beside myself if it was you in this bed instead of me," she murmured as she lifted JJ's hand to her lips to press a soft kiss to the blonde's knuckles. "Are the kids at your parents?"

"Mmm," JJ hummed noncommittally, figuring that she would let Emily take her answer however she wanted to.

"Good." Emily smiled. "It's so much easier going out of town now that they've moved close by to watch them. Hopefully Zoie isn't giving them too much trouble."

_She thinks we have a daughter_, JJ thought to herself, unable to keep from smiling at the idea of children.

"I see that smile, Jennifer," Emily chuckled. "You know you're the one who's going to get in trouble from your parents if she kicks her little soccer ball in the house and breaks something."

JJ laughed.

"It's a good thing Sean takes after me and is more mellow," Emily chided playfully. "So at least only one of the twins is likely giving them fits right now. Can you believe that they're going to be two in September?"

"No," JJ answered honestly.

"Me either," Emily sighed. "Seems like only yesterday you were pregnant with them sending me to the market for pickled ginger and waking me up in the middle of the night to make love to you."

JJ was saved from responding to that bit of information by her phone. "My phone's buzzing," she shared as she pulled her Blackberry from her pocket. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was Hotch. "It's Hotch, I should take this."

"Probably," Emily agreed.

JJ nodded as she lifted the phone to her ear. "What's happening Hotch?"

_"Just calling to check in on Emily. Is she awake?"_

"Yeah, woke up about ten minutes ago," JJ answered.

_"Good. How's she doing?"_

"That's a little tougher to answer," she said as she looked over at Emily. "Em, why don't you try and rest a bit, I'll just finish this call out in the hall."

"You don't have to leave," Emily argued gently. "I love listening to you talk."

JJ smiled. "The feeling is mutual, but I can't hear him well because of the static," she offered as a little white lie to explain why she was leaving the room. "So I'm just going to go wander to see if I can find a better signal."

"Okay," Emily sighed. "Love you."

"I'll be right back," JJ murmured as she popped up off the bed and headed out to the hall. "Hotch, you still there?" she asked as she closed the door carefully behind herself.

_"Did Prentiss finally tell you that she loves you?"_

"What do you mean 'finally'?"

_"JJ, I am a profiler,"_ Hotch answered with a chuckle.

"Be that as it may," JJ deflected the implications of her boss' words, "she seems to be suffering from a mild case of amnesia with confabulation – false memories – she thinks we're married with kids. Twins, by the sounds of it."

_"You're not playing along are you? You know she's going to be embarrassed about this when she finally gets her real memory back."_

"I know," JJ sighed. "And I'm not playing along, per se, but I'm not correcting her either. I don't have the heart to do that to her right now. Do you think I should?"

There was a pause as Hotch considered the available options. _"I think you're right to just roll with it, but don't encourage her – it'll make it harder for her in the long run."_

"Okay. How are things going at the station?"

_"We're just wrapping up. Morgan and Rossi got a full confession, so we're just cleaning up and we'll be out of here. I expect we'll be at the hospital in an hour or two, tops. I know Derek is anxious to get down there, I might let him head off first while we finish up."_

"Tell the guys what is happening so they know what to expect," JJ told him.

_"I will,"_ Hotch assured her. _"Be gentle with her JJ, her memories might be false but I'm pretty sure that the emotions behind them aren't. She's not going to take this well."_

"I will. I…," she paused as she considered her words. "I care for her too."

_"I know,"_ he replied. _"I probably saw it before you two did. I know we've agreed not to profile each other – but it honestly didn't take any profiling to see what you two felt. Take care of her Jayj. We'll be there as soon as we can."_

JJ nodded as she listened to the dial tone hum in her ear for a moment before she tapped the 'End' button and slipped the phone back into her pocket. She walked quietly back into Emily's room and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the brunette was asleep again. She glanced at the clock on the wall opposite the bed as she reclaimed her seat, and settled in to wait until it was time for her to wake Emily up.


	4. Chapter 4

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..

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**CHAPTER  
>4<strong>

JJ looked up as the door to Emily's room swung open slowly. She smiled as she saw Derek Morgan's head poke through to look hesitantly into the room. "Hey," she whispered as she waved him in, mindful of the fact that it'd only been about fifteen minutes since Emily had fallen back asleep after her first wake-up.

"How's she doing?" he asked as he stepped into the room and handed her a bag of food and a Diet Coke.

JJ shrugged. "Okay, I guess. She woke up okay when I checked on her, but she fell right back asleep," she shared as she peeked into the bag he had given her. Inside was a cellophane wrapped deli sandwich, a pickle, and bag of chips. "Thanks."

"No problem, figured you wouldn't be leaving to get some dinner." He shrugged it off. "Hotch said she thinks you two are married, huh?"

JJ nodded as she unwrapped her sandwich. She had not realized how hungry she was until she saw the bag of food. "Thankfully she didn't say anything about it when I woke her; I hate lying to her, but we both know she wouldn't handle it well if I told her she was wrong."

"Probably not," he agreed as he pulled up another chair to sit beside the blonde communications liaison. He knew that Emily harbored deep feelings toward JJ and he was feeling more than a little protective of his partner's heart. "Do you want me to stay here with her?"

"No!" JJ answered quickly. Perhaps a little _too_ quickly, she realized, as she caught sight of the devious smirk Morgan was shooting her. "I mean… its fine, really. I don't mind staying with her. I actually can't imagine being anywhere else."

Morgan studied JJ carefully as she ate her sandwich and studiously avoided his gaze. He could tell that the blonde was nervous about something but did not know if it was because of what Emily was thinking, or something else. His read on the woman changed daily – sometimes he was certain she returned Emily's affections, other times he thought it might just be playful flirting with nothing substantial behind it. "Jayj…"

JJ looked up and gave him a tired smile. "Hmm?"

"Emily's… just…" he started and stopped as he tried to figure out a way to give the blonde some idea of Emily's feelings without completely betraying his partner's trust. This could be just the push they needed, but, at the same time, the potential for disaster was huge as well.

"I know," she assured him. She could see that he was genuinely concerned for his friend and felt it was only fair to let him know that she understood. "Believe me, I know. I'm not going to hurt her, Derek."

He studied her for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Since it's late and she's in here anyways, Hotch said we're going to wait until tomorrow to leave. With the whole memory thing, I think it's probably a good idea for her to stay overnight here anyways. If she needs further hospitalization we can always get her switched to a hospital at home. How's she handling the pain?"

"What pain?" JJ drawled with a smirk. Emily was notorious for taking a hit and 'walking it off'. "I'm surprised she's not clamoring to be released."

"Maybe she thinks her wife would raise holy hell if she tried," he winked playfully.

"Shut up," JJ retorted, rather enjoying the feeling of being referred to as Emily's wife, even if it was in jest. "Look, since you're here, do you mind if I go for a little walk and stretch my legs for a bit?"

"No problem. What time does she need to be woken up again?"

JJ glanced at the clock on the wall. "Um, in about half an hour."

"Got it. Go do what you need to do and if you're not back I'll take care of it. She'll probably handle it better if it's one of us waking her up rather than some poor unsuspecting nurse."

JJ laughed and nodded knowingly. Emily really was the world's worst patient. "That's why I told the doctor that I'd handle wake-up duty. I'll have my phone if you need me."

"Take your food with you, there's a nice little bench outside you can sit on to finish it. Good cell reception there too," he told her. "Garcia wants you to call her."

JJ groaned. "You told her about the memory thing, didn't you?"

He grinned. "I like my credit score the way it is, thank you very much. I know better than to withhold information from her. Get a move on Jareau, I'll keep an eye on your woman for ya."

JJ stood and grabbed her food. "Thanks Derek." She smiled warmly at her friend.

He just smiled and nodded his understanding, and leaned back in his chair as he watched JJ leave. "You have jumped right into the fire, my friend," he informed his sleeping partner once the door had closed behind the object of her affections. "I don't know how to get you out of this one – but I _think_ you are going to be pleasantly surprised by her reaction."

+++/+++\+++

JJ found the bench Derek had told her about and sat down with a heavy sigh. She groaned as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled up Penelope on her speed-dial. She reached into the bag to grab her sandwich as the call rang through, and was not surprised when she got one of the quirky blonde's signature greetings.

_"You've reached the All-Knowing Loooooove Goddess."_

"Hey Pen," JJ sighed before she lifted her sandwich to her mouth and took a small bite.

_"Gumdrop,"_ Penelope cooed. _"I hear you got married since we last spoke."_

"God, not you too," JJ muttered around a mouthful of sourdough and turkey. She looked at the sandwich more carefully as she chewed, it was actually really good.

Penelope laughed lightly. _"Couldn't help myself. Besides the memory thing, how's our girl doing?"_

JJ finished chewing, taking her time, knowing that Penelope would wait, and swallowed before answering. "Fine. I think. Her doctor doesn't seem too concerned, they're just keeping her overnight as a precaution because she was unconscious for so long. And the confabulation."

_"That is such a fun word," _Penelope quipped in true Penelope fashion. "_How are you doing?"_

_That is the million-dollar question,_ JJ thought to herself. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I'm confused. Scared. She looks terrible, Pen. I'm nervous about how she's going to react once she realizes that we're not actually married. I mean, I know I'd said I was going to talk to her after this case, but now all this has happened and I don't know what to do. Hotch basically flat out told me that she has feelings for me and Derek…"

_"My Chocolate Adonis,"_ Penelope interrupted, and JJ could hear the smile in her friend's voice.

"Right, him," she conceded. "He was weird when he came into the room just now… kind of like he was warning me to not break her heart."

_"That's because he's the strong-sensitive type. Seriously Jayj – Derek and Emily are close, I'm sure she's talked to him about stuff."_

JJ sighed. "Probably. But what do I do now Pen?"

_"What you were going to do before… now you just have to wait until she's thinking straight. Or, hopefully not straight, in this case – but I think you know what I mean."_

"Penelope," JJ groaned.

Garcia just laughed. _"Look, Jayj, you know I love you like a sister – she tripped your gaydar the first day she got here, and now you know for a fact that she's interested in you; because if she wasn't, she wouldn't think you two are married. Look at all of this as a good thing and a sign that you two are meant to be. And I call dibs on Maid of Honor."_

"For who, me or her?"

_"Please, you know my hunk of burning love is going to stand with her when the day comes. Now, go make me proud and take care of your woman."_

"Right after I finish my sandwich," JJ replied as her stomach growled. "And, Pen… thanks."

_"My pleasure honey," _Penelope answered softly. _"Talk to her when you can Jayj, I really don't think you need to worry about risking your friendship anymore."_

"I will," JJ promised before she hung up and looked out across the parking lot toward a copse of pine trees lining the road, thinking that she really hoped that Penelope and Hotch were right and that the vibe she was getting from Morgan was the correct one. "Please, please, please let this work," she muttered to whatever deity was listening, before she set to finishing her dinner so she could get back up to Emily's room.

+++/+++\+++

Morgan looked up at the clock and sighed as he prepared himself to wake his partner, unable to keep from hoping that this 'married' version of Prentiss took to such things better than she normally did. Marriage was supposed to mellow a person out, right?

"Hey, Prentiss," he said softly as he reached out to grasp the brunette's upper arm and give it a careful shake. "Come on, Emily, time to wake up."

Nothing.

He tried again, squeezing her arm a little bit harder, and shaking her a little more forcefully. "Emily Elizabeth Prentiss," he ordered in his most authoritative voice. "Time to wake… your… ass… up."

Still nothing. If anything, he could have sworn he heard her growl at her.

"Goddamn woman!" he swore softly. She always was a pain in the ass to wake up. He crossed his arms over his chest as he appraised his sleeping partner. When all else fails, there is nothing left to do but pull out the big guns. "Hey, Em, JJ is looking damn fine in that itsy bitsy string bikini."

Emily's good eye flashed open as she bolted upright in bed. "Bikini?"

Morgan laughed. "Knew that would work."

"You ass," Emily groaned as she laid back down and looked up at her smirking partner. "Where is Jennifer, anyway?"

_Jennifer?_ he mused, carefully concealing the smirk that wanted to erupt. "Pen wanted to talk to her so I told her to go stretch her legs, eat the dinner I brought her, and call Garcia."

Emily nodded slowly. "Did you get a confession out of Quinn?"

Morgan let out a soft sigh and nodded. "Yeah," he replied as he leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "Full confession. He's being transported to his new home as we speak."

"Good. Did he give you guys any idea of why he did it?"

"Daddy issues," Morgan summarized, knowing that even severely concussed she would understand.

"The good ol' daddy issues." Emily shook her head. "Only surpassed by the monumentally crippling mommy issues." She was interrupted from questioning her partner further by a soft knock on the door before it swung open silently on well-oiled hinges. "Hey, Hotch," she greeted.

"Emily." Hotch smiled as he walked into the room carrying two nearly identical black go-bags, which Emily immediately recognized as belonging to herself and JJ. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got whacked upside the head with a two-by-four."

"That's because that is exactly what happened," Reid quipped as he followed Hotchner into the room. "Where's JJ?"

Hotch watched Emily carefully, noting the softening of the brunette's features just from hearing the blonde's name.

Emily waved a semi-annoyed hand at Morgan. "Muscles, here, sent her away."

"She'll be back," Morgan defended himself. "Trust me Prentiss, you don't want her sitting in this chair nonstop, they are not comfortable at all. My back is already starting to hurt."

"That's because you're a wuss."

"Well, technically, the back pain he's experiencing can most likely be attributed to the…"

"REID!" Emily and Morgan growled.

"Sorry," the young genius apologized quickly.

"Hey guys," a new voice entered the fracas and Emily looked up at its source with a smile that did not go unnoticed by anybody in the room. "Hey, Em," JJ greeted Emily softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," Emily murmured as she caught the blonde's gaze. Those bright blue eyes never failed to suck her right in, and she was a little concerned about the hesitancy she saw swirling in them. "Come sit by me?"

JJ looked around the room quickly, noticing that the guys had taken the three chairs available before she nodded and made her way over to Emily's bed. She watched Emily's face carefully as she perched herself lightly on the edge, wanting to make sure that she was not jostling the brunette too much.

"Come on, Jen," Emily murmured as she reached out and tugged at JJ's hip, urging the blonde further onto the bed.

JJ sighed and scooted back a bit further so that she was now actually sitting on the bed beside Emily. "Better?"

"For now," Emily drawled as she began rubbing light circles on the small of JJ's back.

JJ bit back a groan as she fought to keep from relaxing into Emily's loving touch, and decided that the best way to control the situation was for her to ignore the suddenly wide-awake brunette beside her. "Derek said the plan is to fly back tomorrow?"

"Thank god," Emily sighed. "I hate hospitals."

The group laughed and nodded knowingly.

"Am I too late?" Rossi asked with a laugh as he sauntered into the room. "Sorry, I got lost. There weren't any crying nurses for me to follow to her room this time."

"One time, I made a nurse cry," Emily said exasperatedly. "One time! And you have never let me live it down!"

JJ laughed and turned to look at Emily. "Em, it might have been one time, but it was three nurses… and a candy striper," she recalled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "In an hour."

"Hey now," Emily mock growled as she reached out and tickled JJ's side playfully. "You're supposed to be on my side Jennifer."

JJ laughed and easily batted Emily's hand away. "Watch it Prentiss," she threatened as she turned to face the brunette again. She felt her heart literally skip a beat as she caught sight of Emily's one good eye looking back at her, full of love with all of the brunette's infamous walls torn down. "I mean it," she murmured a little breathlessly as Emily continued to hold her gaze captive.

Hotch cleared his throat. "You know, I think we'll head back to the hotel now."

Reid looked confused. "We just got here."

Morgan jumped to his feet. "Yeah, I wanna grab a soak in the hot tub. Come on Doctor Reid," he wrapped an arm around the skinny man's neck, perhaps a little tighter than necessary, "you're going to come with me and explain the whole red shirt thing again."

Reid perked up at the prospect of being able to discuss Star Trek. "Okay!"

JJ stared at Morgan. "Be nice to Spence. I'll call you guys in the morning."

The men all said their goodbyes and left in a single-file line out the door. Hotch was the last to leave and as he pulled the door closed behind him he looked back at JJ who was watching them leave and Emily who was focused on the small circles she was drawing on the blonde's back. He gave JJ a wink of encouragement before he shut the door tightly, hoping that he was not doing his two obviously enamored agents a disservice by leaving them together in this situation.

"They are being rather thick about this whole thing, aren't they?" David Rossi asked as Hotch fell into step beside him.

Hotch nodded. "I just hope this doesn't push them further back into their shells once Emily gets her memory back."


	5. Chapter 5

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**CHAPTER  
><strong>

**5**

"You okay?" Emily murmured, her voice giving away her obvious concern, as she watched the door close behind Hotch and the team.

JJ took a deep breath, preparing herself to be alone with Emily once more, and nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Emily, propped up against her pillow and the head of the elevated bed, watched the way JJ's palms pressed into the mattress, and could tell from the movement that JJ was planning on getting up and moving away from her. "Please don't get down."

JJ closed her eyes and drew another deep, fortifying breath. She wanted to stay there. Hell, she wanted to lie down beside Emily, bury her face in the crook of the older woman's neck, and hold her close; but she knew that such an action would not be appropriate given their current situation. She knew, that were Emily in full possession of her faculties, that the brunette would never make such a request. "Emily." The brunette's name fell from her lips on a sigh, and she cringed at the want and the disappointment she could hear in her voice.

Emily heard it too. So, ignoring the throbbing in her head, she sat up and reached out to gently turn JJ's face so that the blonde was actually looking at her. She felt her heart seize in her chest at the pain she saw etched onto the younger woman's face, and she winced at the uncertainty she saw clouding her normally clear blue eyes. "What's wrong, baby?" she asked as she slipped her hand from under JJ's chin to cradle the blonde's face in her palm. "Hey, talk to me," she urged gently as she ran her thumb over JJ's cheekbone soothingly.

JJ closed her eyes as she reflexively relaxed into Emily's touch. She had longed to feel that touch for so long, that she was absolutely helpless to stop herself for responding to it – even though she could not allow herself to give in to it. "Emily, we can't," she sighed.

"Why?" Emily asked softly, as she tightened her hold on JJ's jaw as she leaned in closer, needing to feel the blonde's lips against her own. She did not know where this hesitancy within her wife had come from, but she was certain that a kiss would go a long way toward easing whatever fears were bothering her. "Jennifer," she murmured as she pulled the blonde closer.

JJ sighed and she licked her lips as her gaze flicked down to Emily's mouth. The brunette's lips were parted ever so slightly, and looked absolutely delicious. A warm, familiar heat spread low in her belly as she watched Emily's tongue slide out to wet her lips, and she whimpered as she felt Emily's tender grasp on her jaw tighten ever so slightly, drawing her in closer. The small, incessant voice of reason inside her head grew quieter and quieter until, against her better judgment, she succumbed to her need to taste Emily's lips, her eyes fluttering shut as she gave herself over to her desire.

Emily moaned softly as she watched JJ's eyes flutter closed and let her own do the same as she moved to close that final distance separating them. Anticipation built to a crescendo of racing heartbeats as breaths mingled between parted lips, and just when that final, finite yet seemingly insurmountable distance was to be closed, there was a brusque knock on the door.

"Sorry," Doctor Harrison called out, clearly amused by the scene she walked in on.

Emily felt JJ tense and instead of claiming the blonde's lips, as was her original intent, she instead slipped her hand around JJ's neck to hold her close as she rested the uninjured side of her forehead against the younger woman's. "It's okay," she murmured, her voice soft and warm and soothing. "Jen," she sighed as she felt JJ shake her head and slip away from her.

"Doctor," JJ murmured as she turned to face the doctor, who at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed about walking in when she had.

"I was just popping in to see how Emily was doing. I'm off shift now and won't be back until the morning," she said as she walked further into the room, hoping that a calm façade and a professional air would ease the tension that was filling the room. She glanced at JJ who was now staring at the floor and felt like a complete ass for interrupting the women.

JJ rolled her eyes, silently chastising herself for her moment of weakness, before she slipped her communications liaison mask on and looked at the doctor. "Our team is planning on flying home in the morning. Do you still think Emily will be cleared for release by then?"

Doctor Harrison nodded slowly as she pulled a penlight from her pocket and began flashing it at Emily's eye. "Provided her condition doesn't worsen overnight, that shouldn't be a problem. How are we doing with the other thing?" she asked gently, her vague phrasing acknowledging that her realization that she had walked in on a rather intimate moment and that, while she hated to draw attention to Emily's false memories, she needed to know where the brunette stood medically.

"Still the same," JJ answered softly.

Doctor Harrison nodded and slipped her light back into her pocket. "I see. Well, I start rounds at six, so if you want I can make you my first stop and we should have you out of here by seven thirty at the latest."

Emily nodded. "Sounds good, doc, thanks."

"My pleasure." Doctor Harrison smiled. "Well, then. I shall get going and let you two get back to what you were doing. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Thank you," JJ murmured as she forced herself to hold the doctor's gaze.

"Sorry," Doctor Harrison mouthed to the obviously upset blonde, before she turned to Emily. "I want you to rest up tonight Agent Prentiss. Every hour," she instructed firmly, glancing at JJ to make sure that the blonde was going to be able to see that it happened.

"I know," JJ assured her.

"Hey, doc," Emily called out just as the doctor had reached the door. "May I change into regular pajamas?"

Doctor Harrison nodded. "No reason why you shouldn't. If you need help, just buzz and a nurse will come down and help you with it."

"Thank you." Emily smiled and, moments later, the door closed behind the redhead and they were left alone with each other once again. She watched as JJ refused to meet her gaze by turning toward their bags that Hotch had brought earlier, and she was more confused than ever as to the reason behind the blonde's unusual behavior. "What's wrong Jen?" she asked as she watched JJ who was now digging through their bags in search of more comfortable clothes.

"Nothing," JJ answered softly. _Everything. I want you so badly and I know this isn't really you treating me this way, talking to me like this, looking at me as if I am the center of your world._ "Here are your sleep pants and tee-shirt." She pulled the garments out of Emily's bag and turned to find the brunette watching her carefully.

Tired of being avoided, Emily slowly maneuvered herself out of the hospital bed. "I'm fine," she assured the blonde, who looked about ready to protest the action. She paused for a moment beside the bed, keeping three fingers pressed to the thin, scratchy blanket until she regained her balance, before she slowly crossed the room to where JJ was standing.

JJ held her breath as she watched Emily shuffle toward her. She knew she should leave, call Morgan and switch places with him; but, for the life of her, she could not move. She watched Emily advance slowly and when the brunette's strong, capable hands slipped around her waist she was helpless to stop the low moan that tumbled from her lips. "Em."

Emily's good eye fluttered closed for a moment at the sound of her name falling from the blonde's lips and she reflexively tightened her hold on Jennifer's hips as she stepped in closer still so that they were pressed lightly together. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the woman in her arms, watching, appraising, and, yes, profiling the reactions her proximity generated. "Talk to me," she murmured imploringly. "Let me in. What are you thinking?"

JJ felt tears build in her eyes and she hid them by wrapping her arms around Emily's neck and pulling the brunette in for a fierce embrace. She buried her face in the crook of the older woman's shoulder and just held on tight, hoping that this connection would satisfy the both of them while knowing that it would do anything but.

Emily's breath hitched in her chest as she felt JJ's deceptively strong arms pull her in closer and she automatically slid her hands from the blonde's waist to around her back to hold her close. "Shh," she soothed as she rubbed her hand up and down JJ's back softly. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay. I'm sorry I pushed, baby," she murmured as she began to shift her weight from side to side in a gentle rocking motion designed to calm.

JJ turned her head so her cheek was resting on Emily's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Emily murmured as she flexed her arms and pulled JJ in even closer.

"I'm just scared," JJ offered hesitantly.

"Of my head injury?" Emily asked softly.

JJ shrugged, unable and unwilling to explain everything that was terrifying her at the moment. "Mmm."

"I'm fine Jen," Emily murmured.

_No, you're not._ "I still worry."

Emily drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Would you feel better if I got back into the bed?"

Not trusting herself to speak, JJ just nodded.

"Okay then," Emily agreed easily, pressing her lips to the crown of JJ's head. Anything to make the blonde happy. "Can you grab me a sports bra out of the bag? I don't like swinging free when the boys are around."

JJ nodded again, pausing for a moment to savor the warmth of Emily's body pressed up against her own for a few heartbeats longer before she pulled away and turned back to the bag. She crouched down to look through the clothes and easily found the bra Emily was wanting. "Here it is," she murmured as she pulled the bra from the bag. She stood and turned around to hand it to the brunette, and was helpless to stop the gasp that escaped her as her eyes landed on Emily standing expectantly before her wearing nothing but a pair of utilitarian sky-blue cotton bikini briefs. _Fuck me, she's more beautiful than I'd imagined_, she thought to herself as her eyes roamed over flawless pale skin and full, heavy breasts tipped with rich, mocha colored nipples.

"Here," Emily said as she held her hand out for the bra. She smiled as she watched JJ's bright blue eyes rake over her nearly naked form. "Jen," she chuckled as she moved in closer to take the bra from the blonde. "Why are you acting like you've never seen me in my underwear before?"

_Because I haven't, _JJ though as she tried not to drool as she watched Emily carefully slip the cotton bra over her head before slipping her arms into it as well. She licked her lips appreciatively as she watched Emily reach down through the top to adjust herself for comfort, unable to tear her gaze away from the woman in front of her.

Emily looked up once everything was where she wanted it and smiled at the lust she saw darkening JJ's eyes. "Shirt?"

"Hmm," JJ hummed as she held out the ratty heather gray tee.

Emily slipped it on easily and then looked up at JJ who was still standing right beside the bags. "I think I'm going to need some help with the pants, Jen," she murmured, highly aware of the fact that, for some reason, the blonde did not want to get close to her.

JJ nodded jerkily. "Right. Put your hands on my shoulders and I'll help you into them," she instructed as she sank to her knees before the brunette.

Emily did as requested and smiled at the feeling of JJ's fingers tracing lightly up her legs as the blonde eased the pants up to her waist. "Thank you," she whispered, daring to lean in and brush her lips against Jennifer's forehead as the blonde pushed up to her full height before her.

"No problem," JJ whispered. "Now, let's get you back into bed."

Emily nodded and allowed herself to be led back across the room to the hospital bed. She eased herself back onto the mattress and smiled reassuringly at JJ as she scooted far enough onto the bed that she was able to lay back against the inclined section of the mattress. "Better?"

JJ nodded. "Much," she confirmed as she pulled the blankets back up over Emily's lap. "You comfortable?"

_I'd be more comfortable if you'd climb up here with me and let me hold you_, Emily thought to herself, but somehow instinctively knew that such a request would be denied so she just nodded. "Yeah. Thanks Jen," she said through a yawn.

"Close your eyes and rest, Em," JJ murmured as she reached up to smooth the brunette's hair away from her forehead. She felt her heart clench when Emily reached up and took that hand, and held it to her cheek.

"I love you Jennifer," Emily confessed sleepily. "You know that, right?"

JJ bit her lip and nodded. "I do," she answered softly as she gently pulled her hand away from Emily's cheek. "Rest up Prentiss, big day tomorrow."

Emily smiled. "Yes ma'am."

JJ stayed beside Emily's bed for a few minutes as the brunette slipped into a deep sleep before she carefully pulled the side-rail back up and crossed the room to her bag from which she selected a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. With one last glance at Emily she walked into the small private bath and closed the door after herself to change.

She flipped the bright florescent light on and looked at herself in the tiny mirror above the sink. "What are you doing Jareau?" she asked herself softly. "What in the world are you doing?"

+++/+++\+++

JJ jumped out of her chair as the alarm on her phone buzzed, pulling her from the murky depths of sleep to check on Emily. It was a little after five in the morning, and the brunette had slept well through the night – waking fairly easily every hour and falling back asleep with little to no trouble every time.

She pushed herself to her feet with a groan and ran a soft hand over the sleeping brunette's brow. She smiled as Emily smiled in her sleep and turned into the touch, and her heart broke just a little bit more at the sleepy, "Mmm, love you Jen," that spilled from the brunette's lips as her touch traveled over a defined, regal cheek.

"Emily, hon, time to wake up again," she murmured.

Emily stirred in her sleep, a slow, easy smile lifting the corners of her lips as she came awake. "Jennifer," she whispered.

JJ smiled. "Hey," she breathed. "Just had to check on you, you can go back to sleep now."

Emily shook her head and reached out with a surprisingly quick hand, tangling her fingers into the soft hairs at the nape of JJ's neck. "I wanna kiss my wife first," she muttered as she pulled the blonde down to her level and claimed the blonde's lips with her own.

JJ gasped in surprise at the feeling of Emily's soft lips moving demandingly against her own, and her gasp turned into a low growl of pleasure as the brunette took advantage and thrust a hungry, seeking tongue inside her mouth. Exhaustion combined with the heavenly feeling of Emily's lips upon hers and the intoxicating taste of the brunette's tongue had her responding to the kiss rather than pulling away. She reached out and tangled her hands in Emily's hair, pulling the brunette closer as she tilted her head to the side, opening her mouth wider. Tongues danced and dueled with each other in a barely restrained hunger, and she moaned as Emily's hands began to wander up and down her sides, eventually slipping under her shirt to palm her breasts possessively.

She was lost to the feeling of Emily's hands upon her skin and the taste of the brunette upon her tongue, and she was only brought back to realty by the electric pulse that shot through her when Emily's thumbs brushed over her nipples.

"God," she pulled away with a gasp.

Emily smiled, looking every bit like the cat that caught the canary, as she leaned back against her pillow. "I love you Jennifer," she murmured, her voice soft and distant as she easily slipped back into the realm of dreams.

JJ, however, was not as lucky. Her mind and body were both wide awake, tingling with electricity from the brief, stolen kiss.

"My god, Jareau," she groaned as she dropped back into her chair as she looked at Emily sleeping so peacefully. She knew, just from that one kiss, that one stolen moment of having Emily's hands upon her body, that she was ruined for all others. Nobody had ever made her feel so much, and she knew – somehow fucking knew, that nobody ever would. She leaned forward to rest her head on the thin, hospital mattress and shook her head sadly. "You are well and truly fucked, JJ. Should have stopped her," she chastised herself. "But damn, that girl can kiss."


	6. Chapter 6

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**CHAPTER  
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**6**

Doctor Harrison entered room 324 at precisely one minute after six to find both occupants sound asleep. She smiled at the sight of the blonde passed out with her head resting atop her arms that were folded on the bed beside Emily's hip. She knew it had been a long night for the young Agent making sure that she woke her patient every hour and she was loathe to disturb her if she didn't have to, so she quietly rounded the bed to check on her patient.

"Good morning," she whispered as she placed a soft hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Jayj?" Emily mumbled sleepily.

"It's Doctor Harrison, Emily," she corrected as she patiently waited for the brunette to come around. When one sleep-filled brown eye opened to focus on her, she smiled reassuringly. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Emily rasped.

"Good. The nurses informed me that Agent Jareau took good care of you last night," she observed, knowing that the brunette's response to the statement would indicate whether or not her confabulation had eased.

Emily nodded. "JJ…" her voice trailed off as the events of the last day flashed through her mind. "Oh. My. God," she murmured as she remembered repeatedly telling JJ that she loved her.

"I take it from the look of abject horror on your face that your memory has returned," Doctor Harrison drawled as she scribbled a few notes onto Emily's discharge paperwork.

"Oh fuck," Emily groaned softly.

"It wasn't that bad," the doctor reassured her. "Really."

"I kissed her." _Like, _**really**_ kissed her._

"Is that a bad thing?" Doctor Harrison couldn't help but ask as she made a few more notes on Emily's chart.

Emily's eyes widened as another memory of the previous day hit her. _I felt her up. I…_ "Oh no. Did I say something about kids and us being married?"

"Actually-" Doctor Harrison clicked her pen shut and slipped it back into her pocket "-that was how we first realized that your head injury was more serious than we'd originally thought."

"You have got to be kidding me," Emily groaned as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Agent Jareau knew what was happening," she reassured her patient. "Knew that you were suffering through a bit of amnesia. I honestly don't think you have anything to be concerned about."

_Yeah, right. _"But I do love her," Emily whispered, almost to herself.

Doctor Harrison nodded thoughtfully. She was ninety-nine percent sure that the blonde returned those affections but knew it was not her place to share, so she instead changed the subject back to the matters at hand. She was a neurosurgeon, not a couple's counselor, after all. "Okay. Well, you still have a serious grade three concussion that you need to keep on top of. I want you to check in with your regular doctor in a few days, and I'm restricting your activities, work included, until you are completely recovered."

"How long will that be?"

"Your concussion symptoms will hopefully disappear in the next few days though you might still get dizzy after exerting yourself for a few more weeks. Your fractures should be healed within a month."

"I'm out for a month?"

Knowing how much law enforcement personnel hated being kept from the field, Doctor Harrison nodded and quickly added, "But as soon as your concussion symptoms ease you'll be released for desk duty. So, as long as there are no lingering symptoms, you could hypothetically be back within a week."

Emily sighed and closed her eyes. _And the morning just keeps getting better_, she thought dourly.

"Wha…" JJ's soft, sleep filled voice broke the silence that had descended upon the room. "Oh," she mumbled as she spotted the redheaded attending standing on the opposite side of the bed from her. "Doctor Harrison, is it six already?" she asked as she sat up and ran a sleepy hand through her hair, smoothing it away from her face.

"About a quarter after, actually. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"A little," JJ said as she looked up at Emily. "How you feeling Em?"

Emily pursed her lips and turned her face toward the window, away from JJ. "Fine," she responded curtly.

JJ frowned and looked up at Emily's doctor who was watching Emily carefully.

"Confabulation is gone," Doctor Harrison explained softly.

"Oh," JJ drawled as she immediately looked back toward Emily and felt her heart seize in her chest as she saw that the brunette was staring blankly out the window, effectively keeping her and the rest of the world at bay. "I see," she murmured.

Doctor Harrison looked from her patient to JJ, who was wearing a look of absolute heartbreak, and frowned. "Well, there's nothing else for me to do here. I will let the nurses know that you are free to go. Thanks again for your help up here Agent Jareau. Agent Prentiss, good luck with your recovery."

"Thank you, doctor," Emily said in a clipped, professionally detached voice.

"Good luck," Doctor Harrison replied, looking JJ straight in the eye as she offered the soft words of encouragement before she quickly exited the room to inform the nurses that her patient was being released.

JJ watched the door click ominously shut behind the retreating doctor, the quiet, barely perceptible _snick_ of metal catching shooting through her heart like a shotgun blast. Now it was time to face the music. Time to admit to Emily why she had chosen to stay with her, even with the false memories the brunette had been projecting onto their reality.

"Emily, I…" she started and stopped, her voice no louder than a breath as uncertainty and fear tore through her. She wanted Emily, had wanted her for so long, and this, this messed up confrontation in a generic hospital room was where her life would be decided.

"You should call Hotch and let him know that I am being released," Emily murmured as she pushed herself up off her pillows. She needed to at least get into a pair of jeans for the flight home. How she was going to do that was another matter altogether, but she knew she needed to get moving. Knew she needed to get out of this hospital room and away from JJ until she could rebuild her walls to protect her heart.

JJ watched Emily climb slowly out of bed and felt the strangest sense of déjà vu. "Em," she protested the brunette's movement softly. "Do you need help?"

"No, thank you, JJ," Emily murmured, completely unaware of how her use of JJ's nickname, rather than her given name, brought tears to the younger woman's eyes. "I can do it. Why don't you call Hotch and the guys so we can get out of here. I just want to go home."

JJ sucked her lower lip between her teeth and remained frozen beside the bed as she watched Emily shuffle toward their bags. She wanted to run across the room, gather the older woman in her arms, and confess her secret longing for the brunette. But she could feel Emily's walls pushing at her, keeping her away almost as if they were a tangible barrier to the older woman's heart that had, only hours before, been hers to hold and cherish.

And now… now Emily wouldn't even meet her eyes, couldn't even stand to look at her. It was almost as if everything she wanted to have with Emily was destroyed before it could even be brought to life.

She watched Emily stop in front of the bags and stare at them as if she were trying to make her clothes magically appear in her hands. "Do you want me to pull out some clothes for you?" she offered in a soft, hesitant voice.

Emily's head dropped to her chest at the pain she could hear in JJ's voice. She felt tears begin to build as she realized how much she was hurting the other woman by essentially refusing to acknowledge her, but she didn't know what else to do. She felt raw, open, exposed, and her first instinct was to protect herself and, ultimately, her heart. And that meant she needed to keep the world, and everyone in it, at arm's length.

She needed to keep herself separate, but she could let JJ in enough to allow her to help, to try and slowly rebuild the easy familiarity that they used to share.

She nodded, wavering slightly where she stood as the movement brought on a mild wave of vertigo. "Could you get me some clean clothes for the day? Jeans, a shirt, and maybe some clean socks and underwear?" she whispered.

"Of course," JJ murmured. She crossed to the bags in three quick strides and crouched down in front of them. She quickly found the requested items, and she felt her heart break a little more as she looked up from her crouched position beside their suitcases to see familiar walls erected in Emily's dark, emotionless eyes. "Here," she whispered as she held out the clothes.

Emily's breath caught in her throat at the pain and uncertainty she could see clouding JJ's normally clear blue eyes. "Thanks," she muttered as she took the offered clothes and turned carefully toward the bathroom. "I'm just going to go get changed. I'll be right back," she murmured without so much as a glance in JJ's direction as she made her way slowly toward the safety of the small en suite bathroom.

+++/+++\+++

Emily stared out the window of the team's private jet as it taxied down the deserted, secluded runway of the small private airport in preparation for take-off. She knew JJ was sitting on the couch behind her, more than likely shooting wounded looks her way, but she could not gather up the courage to turn around and face the understandably sullen blonde. She was absolutely mortified by her behavior from the day before. Horrified that she had not only let apparently all her walls down around the blonde but also shared her dreams of marriage and children with her as well.

Her life was well and truly fucked up at the moment.

"Hey," Morgan drawled as he dropped into an empty seat opposite her. "How's it going, princess?"

She glared at him. "If you knew what was going on why the hell didn't you try and get her away from me?" she asked in a small, tired voice. He was her partner, he was supposed to have her back no matter what.

"She wouldn't leave," he argued quietly, glancing over Emily's shoulder to where he could see JJ reclined on one of the couches at the back of the plane talking on her phone.

Emily glowered at him menacingly. "You should have made her leave." _That way I wouldn't have fucking stripped right in front of her. Or felt her up. 'Cause that was yet another fine moment that will be forever etched into my memory._

"Yeah right," he laughed. "Have you ever tried to make Jareau do something she didn't want to do? Not happening Prentiss and you know it. Besides, you'd already told her all about the kiddos and you two being married when I'd offered to stay with you, and she shot me down so fast my head was spinning. She wanted to stay with you Emily, that right there should tell you something."

Emily frowned. "Like what?"

"Like you're being an idiot ignoring her and sitting all by yourself pouting. You need to pull your head out of your ass and grow a pair, partner."

"Hey!"

"Well, you do," he argued. "You need to nut up and talk to her. She obviously knows that you at least are attracted to her – and she didn't run away. Hell, she got next to no sleep making sure that you didn't slip into a coma and how do you thank her? You ignore her completely. I may be confused on the big ol' lesbian dating guide, but I know straight women don't like to be ignored after they've gone out of their way to help you out."

"I can't lose her Derek," Emily sighed. "She's my best friend. What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "That would be why you need to talk to her. Because if she does, you're shooting yourself in the foot here by ignoring her."

+++/+++\+++

"Right, Pen," JJ murmured as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off the headache that she could feel building. "Nothing. No 'good morning', no 'thank you for sitting with me all night', nothing. I was expecting her to retreat back behind her walls and everything, but this is ridiculous, even for her."

_"Well now, gumdrop, we all knew this would happen. I personally think it's a good sign that she got on the plane with you guys and didn't just pull out that black AmEx we know she has and buy herself a plane ticket home on a commercial flight."_

"Not helping Pen," JJ sighed.

_"Just give her some time, peanut,"_ Garcia offered gently. _"Let her get over her embarrassment – because you know she has to be mortally embarrassed about it all – and maybe you'll be able to get her to talk to you once you are back home and away from the guys."_

"What if she doesn't?"

Garcia sighed and felt her heart break a little at the obvious pain in her friend's voice. _"Then we'll work together to come up with a plan B."_

JJ smiled at her friend's loyalty. She could always count on Penelope to have her back, no matter how hare-brained or hopeless the endeavor. "And if that doesn't work?" she asked in a small, soft voice.

Garcia could hear the pain and longing in her friend's voice, and she felt her heart break a little for her. _"I'll go buy a two by four."_

JJ laughed in spite of herself. "That was bad, Pen. Real bad."

_"But it got you to laugh,"_ Penelope replied, her smile clearly evident in her tone.

"What if she doesn't really feel that way toward me?"

Back in her dark office Penelope pursed her lips thoughtfully as she thought through some of the looks that she had caught Emily giving JJ when the brunette thought no one had been looking. Those looks, those long, lingering looks, said just as much as words ever could. _"I don't think that's the real issue here. Get some sleep my blue-eyed girl, you sound like you're exhausted. I'll be waiting for you guys when you get back to the ol' homestead."_

+++/+++\+++

Garcia was waiting for the team as they dragged themselves out of the elevator. She immediately noticed that the group was lacking the usual estrogen component and was instantly curious as to what had happened to her girls. She nodded hello to both Hotch and Rossi, smiled sweetly at Reid which got the expected blush of embarrassment from the quirky genius, and when she caught sight of Derek she gave him her best 'come hither' look before turning on her heel and heading back to her office.

She knew he would follow.

"Hey Baby Girl," Derek sighed as he closed the door to Garcia's office behind him. He leaned back against the door and appraised the pink haired hacker carefully, knowing from the look that she had shot him when they all walked in that she wanted information.

Not wasting any time on pleasantries, she got right to the point. "Where are JJ and Little Miss Grouchy Pants?"

"Probably halfway to DC by now. Hotch muttered something about not allowing a marriage spat tear the team apart before he told JJ to take Prentiss home and then to get some sleep. She's dead on her feet after waking up every hour on the hour last night with Emily."

"Is our dark and brooding profiler still dark and brooding?"

Morgan chuckled. "You know it, Baby Girl."

Penelope threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "What is her problem?"

He studied Garcia carefully. While he had his suspicions and knew that Penelope had hers, they had never actually sat down and discussed their friends' preferences before. "Full disclosure?"

"Maximum secrecy… yeah, yeah, the usual," Garcia drawled, waving her left hand in a small, circular motion in front of herself. "Now, spill it, hot stuff."

Morgan ran a tired hand over his head and appraised the expectant looking woman in front of him. He knew that if she said she would keep this exchange secret that she would, the woman knew more secrets than the rest of them combined, but it still felt strange for him to be the one to effectively out his very private friend.

"What do you know of Emily's… um… preferences?"

Garcia smiled and leaned back in her chair, a large, rather pleased smile tipping her lips. "Well, let's see… I know she thought she and Jayj were married with kids, and I've seen those long, lingering, lustful looks she gives my blue-eyed girl when she thinks nobody is watching her – so I'm willing to bet that her preferences, as you called them, tend to lean toward blonde haired, blue-eyed, women."

Morgan smiled and nodded. "Should have known that you'd seen something," he muttered.

"They don't call me the Oracle of Quantico for nothing," Penelope quipped. "So, am I right? Does Emily have a thing for JJ?"

He nodded. "She doesn't just have 'a thing'-" he used his fingers to make little air-quotes around the phrase "-she flat out wants her. Has, for quite a while." _I think she may even be in love with her,_ he thought to himself.

Pen grinned and gave a small, victorious fist pump. "And JJ wants Emily. So why is tall, dark, and Butchy McFabulous giving my blue-eyed girl the cold shoulder?"

Derek frowned, his brow furrowing thoughtfully as he considered Garcia's words. "Do you really think Prentiss is butch?"

"Focus!" Penelope snapped her fingers at him.

"Right, sorry," he apologized, completely startled by Garcia's antics. "She's embarrassed. Scared that JJ doesn't feel the same way. Hell, neither of us even knew if JJ was into women."

Garcia nodded. "And you call yourselves profilers. Have you not seen the equally longing looks that JJ's been giving our brown-eyed girl for the last, like… forever?"

+++/+++\+++

JJ sighed as she pulled to a stop in front of Emily's building in downtown Washington DC. The ride up from Quantico had been silent, full of heavy silence and quick, furtive glances, and she was tired of it. Tired of being ignored. Tired of being shut out.

After only a scant few hours with Emily without all of her infamous walls and compartments she knew she was hooked, knew that she wanted more time with the complex brunette just like that – and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out how to get the other woman to open up to her. She had tried initiating conversation at a couple different points during the drive only to be shut down with quick, one-word answers or a noncommittal grunt. She finally gave up when Emily complained of the sun and the movement making her dizzy and said that she was going to close her eyes for a bit.

"Thanks for the ride," Emily muttered as she pushed herself up out of JJ's car. She wavered slightly as her balance was slow to catch up with her desire to run away and she closed her eyes in defeat when she heard JJ's door open. _Knew it would be too much to hope she didn't see that_.

JJ watched Emily tense as she slammed her door shut with perhaps a bit more force than necessary, but dammit – she was pissed. After everything that had happened between them in the hospital room she felt she had, at the very least, earned a little more than a 'thanks for the ride' for her efforts.

"This is bullshit," JJ muttered as she stalked around to the back of the car and pulled Emily's bag from the trunk. She dropped it to the pavement and yanked up the handle before she turned to Emily who was standing with one hand still on the roof of the car, the other up at her head shielding her eye from the bright, early afternoon sun. Her broken cheek was too swollen to allow her to wear her sunglasses and JJ was sure that the sunlight was playing havoc on the older woman's headache. "You ready?" she asked as she came to a stop beside the stubborn brunette.

"I can do it Jayj, you don't have to walk me to my door," Emily argued weakly.

"Uh huh, sure," JJ drawled sarcastically. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you that I am walking you up to your condo. Now, can you do it by yourself or do you want to hold onto my shoulder for support?"

"I can do it," Emily grunted as she stepped hesitantly away from the car. After a couple of shaky steps where she was sure she was going to fall over, she finally regained her equilibrium back and began moving with a bit more purpose.

JJ rolled her eyes and walked over to shut Emily's door, again not missing the way the brunette tensed at the loud noise. She beeped the car locked from her key ring and followed a few steps behind Emily, watching the older woman carefully for any sign that she wasn't going to be able to complete the trip on her own.

Emily pushed the elevator call button, swaying slightly as she took a small step backwards to wait, and could not help but let out a small sigh of relief when the elevator opened in front of her. She immediately went to the back wall to lean against the handrail that ran around the car at waist height, thankful for the small amount of support that it offered. She wrapped her fingers around the cool metal and offered JJ a small smile as the blonde entered the car as well. She flinched at the hurt, the anger, the frustration she could see swirling in JJ's eyes, and her heart broke with the knowledge she that she was the reason for all of it.

_Well done, Prentiss_, she silently chastised herself. _Why don't you treat her like shit a just little bit more? Surely there's something else you can do to make her hate you._

JJ tried to force herself to smile back at Emily before she turned and punched the button for the brunette's floor, but she knew that she had failed miserably – she just wasn't in the mood to smile. She was too hurt, too upset, and altogether too pissed-off to offer a genuine, comforting smile. The ride up was silent, save for the quiet pings from the elevator as the car passed each floor, and when the doors whooshed open she stepped to the side, placed a protective arm over the door so that it wouldn't close on Emily, and indicated with a tilt of her head that the brunette was to exit first.

She followed Emily to her door and stood patiently by while the brunette fought to fit her electronic key in the lock. She knew any offer of assistance that she made would be instantly rebuffed, so she didn't push. She was, however, going to push once they were inside.

She was done being ignored.


	7. Chapter 7

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**CHAPTER  
><strong>

**7**

Emily closed her eyes in relief when she finally managed to fit her key into the lock. She was exhausted from the flight, and her pain meds were beginning to wear off and her headache was returning with a vengeance. She glanced over her shoulder at JJ as she unlocked the door and groaned. After having spent the last eighteen months or so surreptitiously watching JJ she knew each and every one of the blonde's expressions and what they signified. She could read her like a book, and she knew from the way that JJ was looking at her now, with her jaw set and her eyes burning bright with determination, that her hopes to avoid discussing what had transpired in the hospital room for just a little bit longer were dashed.

_I guess we're going to be doing this now_, she thought, her heart dropping heavily into her stomach, as she turned back to the door and pushed it open slowly, hoping to draw out the moment before the inevitable confrontation with her heart's desire came to pass. She had known that JJ was hurting from her behavior since she got her memory back, knew that the blonde's hurt had grown and manifested into anger with every conversation starter she'd rebuffed in the car on the way over. She knew all of this, but what she did not know was what to do about it.

Morgan had told her to talk to JJ, to tell her how she felt, but that was easier said than done. Emotions had never been something that were discussed in the Prentiss household, feelings were always ignored in deference to keeping the status quo, to keeping their lives sailing smoothly along on an even keel of false happiness. She had learned early on that what you felt didn't matter, what mattered was putting on a happy face and continuing on through life as if you were without a care in the world. Emotions were messy, time consuming, and there had been no place for them in her life.

Because of this, she learned to compartmentalize. To put everything that threatened to make her weak into a little box so that it could be studied, analyzed, and eventually forgotten about. Pain, both emotional and physical, was easiest to box up and put away. Love… well, until she'd met JJ love had not really been an issue. But the more time she spent around the captivating blonde the more she came to notice, to admire, to covet – and it wasn't long before the box she had created to hold her feelings for JJ had grown in size, rather like the heart of the old Grinch in the children's holiday movie, until it was impossible to ignore, until it seemed to physically change her.

Until JJ, she had been able to put on her mask and play her part without compunction, but the more time she spent with her, the harder it became.

Because, as she tossed her keys onto the kitchen island and turned to face JJ directly for the first time since they left the hospital, she wanted nothing more than to gather the blonde in her arms and hold her tight. Emotions were messy, what she felt for JJ was confusing, but she wanted it all. The mess, the confusion, the hurt, the love, the pain, the joy, the warmth, the acceptance, the closeness, all of it. More than anything she had ever wanted in her life, she wanted JJ.

She just didn't know how to get her. And the thought, the very idea of opening the box that held everything she felt for the younger woman and putting it out there to potentially be refused, or mocked, was absolutely terrifying.

But JJ was worth the risk. She hoped.

"Thank you," she murmured, trying to inflect her voice with her absolute sincerity. It was a weak attempt to bridge the gap separating them, but she was hoping it was enough of a start that JJ would take her hand and show her the way.

JJ had followed Emily into her condo and had watched the brunette's posture shift from detached to pensive. She could tell by the way Emily's head dropped ever so slightly that she was thinking, probably chewing her lip as she tried to figure out what to say. But when Emily turned to face her, her brown eyes soft, open, and apologetic, she was blown away. She had been ready for a fight. She had been ready to yell, to plead, to cajole Emily to open up to her, to let her in; but from the way Emily was looking at her now she knew that what Emily really needed was a gentle push.

She could do that too.

"You're welcome," she answered warmly as she took a small step further into Emily's house.

Emily nodded, recognizing acceptance in JJ's eyes, hearing the warmth in the blonde's tone. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her heart thudding heavily in her chest as she took that first small step toward admitting how she felt for JJ.

JJ offered a small smile and a shrug as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why?" she asked softly.

Emily frowned and leaned back against the island as she studied the woman in front of her. "Why am I sorry?"

"No." JJ shook her head and took another small step forward so that she was now an arm's length away from Emily. "Why did you shut me out so completely?"

Emily licked her lips, realizing that this answer, this moment was the one that would either grant her her greatest wish or rip her dreams to shreds. "I was scared," she whispered.

JJ's brow furrowed at the brunette's words. "Of me?"

"Yes." Emily nodded. _Absolutely terrified of you and your reaction._ "And I was embarrassed about the things I'd said, the things I'd done…" her voice trailed off as she looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Em." JJ smiled softly. "Really now, if I was at all uncomfortable don't you think I would have traded places with Morgan or Hotch?"

Emily shrugged. "It's just… I'm sorry," she murmured, still looking down at their feet, refusing to look up and see the rejection she was certain she'd find in the younger woman's eyes. "I don't know how to do this, Jennifer," she admitted.

JJ smiled as Emily slipped and used her full name, just like she had at the hospital. "Just say it," she whispered encouragingly as she closed that final distance separating them so she could gently lift Emily's chin so that the brunette was forced to look at her. "Tell me," she urged gently, letting her eyes fill with the affection she held for the brunette.

Emily looked into JJ's warm sky blue eyes and felt her breath knocked from her chest by the love she saw staring back at her. "I… I want…"

JJ tilted her head encouragingly. "Hmm?"

"You," Emily whispered, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She couldn't fight what she felt any longer, was not able to resist that look in JJ's eyes any longer. "I want you."

JJ was unable to contain the smile that broke free at the brunette's words. "Emily," she sighed as she slipped her hand from under the point of Emily's chin to cradle the uninjured side of her face tenderly. She let her eyes dance over the older woman's face, drinking in her beauty, her strength. She knew how hard it must have been for Emily to say those three simple words, and she felt her heart swell inside her chest with the knowledge that finally, finally she would be able to do something about her attraction, affection, and, if she was being honest with herself, the love she felt for her.

Emily's eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of JJ's hand upon her cheek and she reflexively turned her face into that touch, giving herself over to it as she waited for her absolution or condemnation. JJ's smile, her tone, were both accepting, but she was still afraid. Her heart began to race in her chest, her fight or flight response kicking in as she struggled to remain where she was and not run away. Her fear had her primed to run, to escape, to flee this potentially disastrous situation – but her hope had her rooted to the spot, shaking imperceptibly as she waited for JJ's response that she knew would either be her condemnation or her exoneration.

So she waited, her heart hammering in her chest, her pulse pounding in her ears as she savored feeling of JJ's hand upon her skin, committing the feeling to memory so that if this, this moment was all she would ever have, she would be able to remember it forever. She felt the warmth from JJ's touch spread through her and she was so focused on that soft touch upon her cheek that she at first did not notice the even softer brush of lips against her own.

"Look at me, Em," JJ whispered as she leaned in and brushed her lips across Emily's. The kiss was soft, chaste, simple, but the meaning behind it, the acceptance, the affection was unmistakable.

Emily whimpered softly and opened her good eye to stare into bottomless blue. "Jennifer," she whispered, the blonde's name spilling from her lips as a prayer. A soft, breathless request for the younger woman to accept her love and protect her heart.

"I want you too," JJ murmured, watching Emily carefully, making sure that the brunette understood the sincerity of her words. "I have, for so long now, Emily."

Emily felt her heart skip a beat as JJ's words soothed her soul, and she smiled softly as she reached out to place her hands lightly upon JJ's hips. Her uncertainty, her fear, faded as she read the truth in JJ's eyes, heard the honesty in her words. As her uncertainty disappeared a small measure of confidence took its place and she pulled the willing blonde closer until they were standing hip to hip with each other. "Wow," she murmured, completely awestruck by the day's turn of events.

JJ chuckled softly. "Em, believe me, we haven't gotten anywhere near 'wow' yet."

Emily wet her lips as her gaze flicked down to the smiling blonde's mouth and she felt that familiar pull low in her stomach as she watched JJ's tongue slip between the blonde's plump lips. "Jennifer," she husked.

JJ smiled shyly as she leaned in so their lips brushed lightly against each other once more. "I like it when you call me Jennifer," she whispered as she closed that final distance separating them and captured Emily's lower lip gently between her own.

The kiss started out slow and languid, just the soft grasping of lips as bodies moved closer together, adjusting, moving along with and counterpoint to the other until they found that perfect fit where every curve fit seamlessly together. Hands began to roam slowly, gliding over fabric in search of that first touch of flushed, heated skin. Low, throaty moans rumbled deep in heaving chests as seeking fingers finally found that skin they so desired and mouths opened to admit tentative, seeking tongues that danced, delved and stroked against each other.

"God, Jen," Emily gasped as her burning lungs demanded she stop kissing the blonde long enough to actually breathe.

JJ purred as she began laying a string of soft kisses over Emily's jaw to her ear. She smiled to herself as she caught the back of the brunette's lobe with her tongue and pulled it between her lips to suckle gently.

"Christ," Emily groaned as her knees buckled and threatened to give way. "Baby, stop."

JJ immediately stopped what she was doing and stepped back quickly, her expression clearly giving away that she was afraid she had done something wrong. "Em? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Emily smiled reassuringly and held tight to JJ's hips, refusing to let the blonde escape her. "No, you didn't. I'm fine," she assured her. "I just need to sit down."

"You're sure?"

"You make my knees weak Jennifer," Emily murmured. "You make my heart flutter," she smiled and leaned in to kiss JJ chastely on the lips. "And the taste of your lips makes my head spin… which isn't a good thing right now," she finished with a playful smirk. "Will you come sit on the couch with me?"

JJ frowned. "Do you think you should maybe go lie down in bed?"

"No," Emily grunted as she pushed herself up off the island she had been leaning against. "I'm not ready to let you go just yet today Jennifer – and when I take you to bed, I want to do it properly. So, for now, the couch will have to suffice."

"Okay," JJ murmured as she reached out to take Emily's hand in her own. She smiled as the brunette automatically turned their hands so that their fingers could twine together and she could not help but notice once again that their hands, much like their bodies moments before, fit together perfectly.

"Come on, Jareau," Emily chuckled as she gave the younger woman's hand a gentle tug. "You don't want me falling over on you," she teased as she led the way into the living room and over to the cream colored couch that faced the windows overlooking the Washington Monument. She used the arm of the couch to help her lower herself to the cushions and, once she was comfortable, she tugged at JJ's hand and pulled the blonde down next to her.

JJ smiled as she sat down next to Emily, being careful not to jostle the brunette as she settled into the cushions. "Okay, this is a comfortable couch," she sighed as she leaned back. "View's not too bad either," she observed as she looked out the large windows onto the National Mall.

"It is absolutely breathtaking," Emily agreed softly as she ignored the window and let her eyes caress JJ's features.

JJ nodded in agreement and turned to find Emily unabashedly staring at her. She felt her cheeks flame as she realized that the view Emily had been referring to was markedly different from the one she was pointing out. "Em," she murmured as she let her own eyes dance over the brunette's face, drinking in the sight of Emily Prentiss looking at her so openly and intently. Emily was not one to let her walls down quickly or easily but, by god, when she did, it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Emily licked her lips and smiled as she reached out to slip a hand behind JJ's neck. She threaded her fingers through blonde silk and gently pulled JJ closer. "I want to kiss you," she husked softly before she pushed up enough to claim JJ's lips in a slow, deep, unmistakably serious kiss.

JJ whimpered and moved her body closer, welcoming the brunette's caresses and meeting them with her own. When her neck began to hurt from the angle it was twisted to, she shifted to straddle Emily's lap. Lips never breaking contact, she moved closer, tangling her hands in Emily's hair and deepening their kiss as she settled into place.

Emily groaned as she felt JJ move over her and when the blonde lowered herself onto her lap she reflexively reached out to grasp JJ's hips to pull her in closer. She reclined back into the couch, resting her head on the back pillows as she pulled JJ down on top of her, accepting the younger woman's weight, delighting in the feeling of JJ's body pressing into her own.

JJ felt every drop of moisture in her body head south to settle between her legs the moment Emily's strong, knowing hands slipped into to back pockets of her jeans and began grasping, kneading, and massaging her in time with their kisses. It was both too much and not enough at the same time, and yet she was helpless but to continue tasting Emily's sweet lips, to continue rocking with the hands on her ass.

Emily sighed as she felt JJ's hands leave her hair to begin traveling slowly over her body, grasping at her shoulders before sliding down over the plane of her chest to graze the sides of her breasts before slipping under them to cup her firmly. "Christ, Jennifer," she gasped as JJ's small, strong hands began kneading her gently.

"Mmm," JJ moaned as she continued to rock with Emily's hands. She reveled at the feeling of Emily in her hands as she worked the firm mounds slowly, rubbing, grasping, massaging, and when she brushed her thumbs over Emily's nipples she thought she could very well come right there at the guttural sound that rumbled deep in the brunette's throat.

Emily pulled her left hand from JJ's back pocket to reach up and pull the blonde's mouth back to her own. The moment JJ's lips met hers she deepened the kiss, hungrily thrusting her tongue deep inside the younger woman's mouth. One kiss became two, became a dozen and eventually she was left feeling very, very aroused and very, very dizzy.

"Whoa," she murmured as she pulled back and closed her eyes against the vertigo that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Are you okay?" JJ murmured as she pulled back to really look at Emily. She smiled at the sight of Emily's kiss swollen lips and the flush of arousal that tinted her cheeks, but as she took in the sight of Emily's furrowed brow her smile faded and concern immediately banked the burning need she had, only moments before, been helpless to resist.

"Yeah," Emily muttered. "I'm fine. Just dizzy. I think I need to rest."

"God, Em. I'm so sorry. I just… I forgot," JJ apologized as she pulled further away.

"Believe me, Jennifer. I'm not complaining." Emily smiled, reaching up to run a gentle hand over the blonde's jaw. "Can I just hold you?"

"Of course," JJ smiled and slipped off the brunette's lap, suddenly painfully aware of exactly how aroused she had become. "Tell me if I hurt you?" she requested as she moved with Emily so that they were laying down on the couch, Emily on the edge holding her as she laid on her side between the brunette and the back cushions.

"You won't," Emily assured her through a stifled yawn.

Seeing the brunette yawn elicited a sympathetic of her own which had her laughing as she laid her head on the plane of Emily's chest. "Comfy," she said as she wrapped her arm around Emily's waist and snuggled in closer.

"Very," Emily agreed softy before turning to press a soft kiss to JJ's forehead. She stayed there, breathing in the smell of the blonde's shampoo, listening to JJ's breathing even out until she was certain that the younger woman was asleep, and it was only then that she allowed herself to fall asleep as well.


	8. Chapter 8

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**CHAPTER  
><strong>

**8**

Emily awoke to the sweet smell of JJ's shampoo saturating the air in front of her nose and the warm, comforting weight of the younger woman draped over her body. She smiled to herself as she pulled the still slumbering blonde in closer, reveling in the feeling of Jennifer wrapped in her arms as she buried her face in blonde silk and pressed a soft, adoring kiss to the top of JJ's head. Being with Jennifer like this was everything she had dreamed it would be and more. Much like the sweet taste of JJ's lips and the way the lithe blonde's body molded to her own, the entirety of their interactions that afternoon had been better than her wildest dreams. If it were not for the fact that her heart's desire was currently sleeping upon her chest she would be apt to believe she were trapped in the middle of yet another dream.

She drew random patterns on JJ's back as she held her close, enjoying the simple intimacy of the moment. She was unsurprised to realize that she was happier than she could ever remember being, and she knew that it was all because JJ was strong enough to take her hand and show her the way. To show her the way out from behind her walls and compartments, to show her the way to the blonde's heart.

"Mmm," JJ purred as she came awake to the feeling of Emily's fingers stroking lightly up and down her back.

Emily smiled as the blonde stretched languidly within her arms. "Nice nap?"

"Very," JJ hummed happily as she tilted her head up to press a soft kiss to the underside of the brunette's jaw. "How about you?"

"Best. Nap. Ever," Emily murmured as she dropped a slow, lingering kiss to JJ's brow.

JJ laughed lightly. "Nice dreams?"

"Don't remember," Emily confessed. "But you were here when I woke up this time, so that makes it the best nap ever."

JJ smiled widely as she lifted her head to claim Emily's lips with her own. The kiss was slow and gentle, the purest expression of affection, and spoke volumes more than the words either of them felt comfortable sharing at this point. She moaned softly as Emily's hands, which had been tracing light patterns over her shirt, slipped under the hem to press against the small of her back, pulling her in closer as the kiss grew deeper and more demanding. Her free hand began to roam aimlessly, sliding over the defined ridges of the older woman's abs and up over the delicate swell of her breast, eliciting a low, guttural groan from Emily, before she cradled the injured side of the brunette's face tenderly in her palm as she purposefully slowed their kisses until they were nothing more than a series of light, quick pecks.

"How's your head?" JJ asked softly between kisses.

"It's fine," Emily assured her.

JJ looked ready to speak when she was interrupted by a rather loud growl from Emily's stomach. "How's your stomach?" she asked with a grin.

"Angry, by the sounds of it," Emily chuckled. "I'm sorry Jennifer," she apologized softly as she ran a gentle hand over the blonde's jaw.

"For what?"

"Ruining the mood," Emily murmured.

JJ smiled. "Em, I am hoping we'll have many more moments like this one in the future. Your stomach growling hasn't ruined anything. What would you like to eat?"

_You_, was Emily's first thought. "I dunno," she opted to share instead. "I'm not picky, really. Are you hungry? What are you in the mood for?"

_You… with a side of you for dessert_, JJ thought wryly before responding, "Not take-out, we've been eating out all week. What do you have in your fridge?"

"Nothing. We've been gone all week."

"Riiiiight," JJ drawled. "Well, then, why don't I run to the market and pick up some stuff to make us dinner and you can either relax here on the couch or go soak in a hot bath or something."

"You don't have to cook us dinner, Jen," Emily protested. "I can do it."

"Yeah right," JJ chuckled. "Whatever you say, Ms. I Just Got Hit in the Head With a Two by Four."

Emily responded by petulantly sticking her tongue out.

"Hah! Real mature Prentiss."

"God you're beautiful when you laugh," Emily murmured, almost to herself as she stared intently at JJ. Realizing that she had spoken aloud by the way the blonde's features softened and her blue eyes grew noticeably darker, she tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject completely. "What is it with unsubs hitting me with pieces of lumber, anyways?"

JJ just shrugged and carefully laid a soft kiss to Emily's brow. "I don't know, but I swear to god I'm going to shoot the next one that tries it. Now, you relax while I run down to the market – I'll be back before you even know I'm gone."

"Not possible. I have always felt your absence whenever you're not nearby."

JJ smiled shyly. "You are smooth, Prentiss."

Emily shook her head. "I'm serious."

"And I am serious about wanting to make you dinner," JJ countered, not giving an inch. "So go upstairs, relax, and let me do what I want."

Emily laughed loudly at that. "Babe, haven't you realized that I _always_ let you do whatever you want?"

+++/+++\+++

JJ had her phone in her hand before she had even stepped foot out of the elevator heading out of Emily's building. She smiled and nodded at the doorman who opened the door for her and the moment she set foot on the sidewalk she was already listening the dulcet tones of Penelope Garcia who skipped her usual quirky greeting and jumped right into the issue at hand.

_"Gumdrop! So, my hunk of burning love told me that you took our brown-eyed girl home today. How'd that go?"_

JJ laughed. "Well, hello to you too, Pen."

_"You sound awfully chipper. Did you get laid?"_

"Hardly," JJ scoffed. "She has a grade three concussion. We did talk though."

_"And you sound happy,"_ Garcia observed.

"That would be because I am happy," JJ drawled playfully as she stopped at the corner to wait for the signal to cross.

_"Well, quit holding out on me and dish! What happened?"_

+++/+++\+++

Emily sank deeper into the steaming bath, being careful to keep her phone out of the water. "She brought me home and we talked," Emily shared, rolling her eyes at her partner who was acting like an over-excited teenage girl.

_"Uh huh, yeah. And if I was twelve I'd be happy with that information – but I want the good stuff_!" Morgan whined.

"I don't kiss and tell," Emily reminded him. Which was not entirely true, she had done her share of bragging over drinks when they would go out just the two of them, but this was Jennifer and she was not going to disrespect the blonde by divulging anything personal about her.

_"Please, Prentiss. We both know that isn't true."_

"It is this time," Emily countered, her tone final. "JJ's different Derek. Special."

+++/+++\+++

_"So is she as good of a kisser and those pouty lips of hers suggest?"_ Penelope squealed.

JJ moaned at just the memory of Emily's sweet lips moving against her own. "Better. Definitely better."

_"Wow."_

"Definitely wow."

_"But no nookie?"_

JJ laughed lightly. "No," she confirmed, her voice sobering as she continued, "this is too special to rush, Pen."

_"Okay, fine,"_ Penelope sighed. _"I admire your self-control. But soon, right?"_

"God I hope so," JJ groaned.

+++/+++\+++

After she had hung up on Morgan, Emily opened the drain of the tub and let a couple inches trickle out before closing it back up and refilling the tub with hot water. She pulled up her Pandora app and opened her favorite jazz station, smiling as the smoky smooth voice of Diana Krall cascaded from the tiny speaker on her Blackberry. She carefully set the phone down on a folded towel that was on the side of the tub and sank deeper into the water, letting the warmth tickle her nape and seep into her bones as she closed her eyes and gave herself over to throaty saxophones, muted trumpets, and the clear, crisp notes of a piano.

When the water had cooled for the third time, she reluctantly opened the drain and climbed out, quickly wrapping an oversized towel around her body to ward off the chill of the room. The water drained with quiet gurgles she dried herself off and shuffled over to the mirror above the vanity to really look at her injury for the first time.

A low, nearly silent gasp broke through her lips as she let her gaze focus on the swollen, bruised skin that stretched from her right cheek, up and around her eye, to cover half of her forehead. The bruising was a light purple along the edges and black in the center, and she knew that once it started to fade her face would resemble an overripe piece of fruit, slightly puffy and tinged with bilious looking colors of muted yellow and green. "Damn," she muttered as she held her towel to her body with her left hand so she could lightly touch her wounded face with her right. She had been so wrapped up in her embarrassment, and then Jennifer and the devotion that she could see shining in the blonde's clear blue eyes, that she had honestly forgotten about her injury.

After a few more minutes of staring at her face in the mirror she turned away, leaving the bathroom without a backwards glance as she made her way into her bedroom. She pulled her favorite pair of jeans out of her dresser, as well as an old heather gray Yale tee and a matching gray hoodie. She tossed the clothes carelessly onto the bed before opening two other drawers and selecting a matching bra and panty set that were neither scandalous nor utilitarian, but rather comfortable and modestly sexy, just in case.

As soon as she was dressed, she toweled her hair dry and returned to the bathroom to comb it out, fastidiously avoiding looking at the mirror this time as she dragged the brush through her hair. She took the stairs down to the main floor carefully, keeping a tight grip on the handrail as she descended slowly. Her stomach growled appreciatively at the delicious smells wafting from her kitchen and she smiled widely as she caught sight of JJ standing at her stove, stirring something she could not see and swaying from side to side, presumably dancing to music that only she could hear.

Her sock-clad feet made no noise as she touched down on smooth hardwood and she smirked as she playfully shuffled into the kitchen to wrap her arms around the blonde's waist. She chuckled as she felt JJ jump in surprise and murmured, "Something smells delicious," as she buried her face in the crook of the blonde's neck.

JJ smiled and set the wooden spoon she had been holding down across the top of the sauté pan. "You scared me," she admitted as she wrapped her own hands around Emily's that were resting comfortably upon her hips.

"Sorry," Emily muttered.

"Why is it that I don't believe you?" JJ asked, leaning her head back to rest it upon Emily's shoulder so she could look the older woman in the eye.

Emily smiled and laid a soft kiss to JJ's lips. "Because you know me."

"I'd like to," JJ whispered, almost wistfully.

Emily sighed and tightened her hold on JJ's waist. "You do, Jennifer."

JJ nodded and lifted her chin to kiss the brunette tenderly. Her insecurity made her want to ask if she truly did or not, but the open, unguarded look Emily was giving her told her that even if she didn't really know Emily yet, that the brunette was willing to open up and let her in. And that was more than enough for her for the time being. "How was your soak?"

"Heavenly." Emily smiled, pleased that JJ was willing to move their conversation to lighter, easier topics. "You could have told me how bad I looked though. I almost screamed when I saw my face in the mirror."

JJ turned in Emily's arms and lifted a hand to trace the uninjured side of the brunette's face with her fingertips. "You are as stunning as ever, Emily Prentiss," she murmured, tilting her head to the side and smiling as she watched a flash of embarrassment cross the brunette's features. "You are," she repeated when she saw Emily preparing to debate the point. "So don't argue with me."

"Yes ma'am," Emily chuckled.

"I am really liking this agreeable side of you," JJ hummed as she lifted her chin to claim Emily's lips with her own, but before the kiss could deepen, the pan that JJ had been attending made a wet popping noise and the blonde broke away with a soft laugh to tend to their meal. "You can't distract me like that," she chastised playfully, her words holding nothing but affection for the woman behind her. "I'll burn our dinner."

"Sorry. It smells divine, by the way. What are you making?"

JJ lifted the spoon to her lips and tasted the sauce coating it, nodding approvingly at the result of her efforts. She turned to lift the spoon to Emily's lips, letting the brunette taste the sauce as she answered, "Chicken breasts stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, shallots, and a little bit of parmesan in a red wine reduction sauce."

Emily moaned appreciatively at the taste. "Delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," JJ smiled as she turned back to the stove to drop the heat on the pan to a simmer and set the cover in place. "It just has to simmer for twenty minutes and we'll be good to go. The rice is already cooking so it'll be ready and I just have to make a salad."

"Wow," Emily murmured. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble, Jennifer. Really. This is too much."

"Nonsense." JJ grinned. "I wanted to cook for you, and this is my favorite meal. Now, why don't you go put on some music, I'll prep the salad real fast, and then we can sit on the couch and cuddle until everything is ready."

Emily gave the blonde a quick salute and a smile. "You know, I find this authoritative side of you rather sexy."

JJ grinned and gave the smiling brunette a quick, chaste kiss. "I'll keep that in mind. Now, go find some music."

"You like jazz?" Emily asked.

"I like everything."

"I'll keep that in mind." Emily smirked before turning on her heel and heading for the sound system that was housed in the entertainment center under the television.

She had her back to the rest of the room as she was staring at her iPod, carefully analyzing the different playlists she had complied, when deceptively strong arms slipped around her waist from behind causing her to jump in surprise.

"Gotcha," JJ's chuckled in a self-satisfied tone of voice.

"You do," Emily agreed, closing her eyes and relaxing into the younger woman's embrace. "You have for quite a while, in fact."

JJ smiled and pressed her face into Emily's back to hide the blush that had tinted her cheeks at the brunette's words. She flexed her arms, tightening her hold as she murmured, "So, what will we be listening to tonight?"

Emily looked back down at her iPod and frowned. She knew what she would like, but she was certain that her taste in music differed greatly from JJ's – even though the blonde had confessed to 'liking everything'. "Do you like Melody Gardot?"

JJ shrugged. "Dunno. Put it on and let's see."

"You sure? I mean, there's got to be something on here that you'd recognize," Emily offered as she looked back down at the iPod, wondering what exactly would be JJ's preference.

JJ smiled at the brunette's awkwardness. "Put it on, Em. I'm sure I'll like it. I happen to have a rather eclectic taste in music, as you'll soon find out," she shared as she released her hold on the older woman and moved back toward the sofa.

Emily nodded and pulled up the correct playlist before docking the unit and turning around to find JJ smiling at her from the couch. Her lips automatically curled to return the smile and made her way toward the blonde as the soft opening notes of 'If the Stars Were Mine' poured from the speakers hidden in the ceiling, filling the room with gentle chords and the smoky, sexy voice of her favorite jazz singer.

She watched the way JJ's head tilted to the side and her eyes grew a little unfocused as she listened to the lyrics, truly taking the time to _hear_ the music. She sat down on 'her' corner of the couch and studied JJ's reaction to the music that she normally kept close to her heart.

"I like it," JJ murmured when the song ended and she slid across the couch so she could curl herself into the brunette's side.

Emily smiled and wrapped her arms around JJ. "I'm glad."

"Mmm," JJ hummed as she snuggled in closer. "It's very… you."

"I'm afraid to ask why you think that," Emily chuckled softly.

JJ turned to lay a soft kiss to the brunette's jaw. "The music is multifaceted, smooth, and undeniably sexy," she explained, smirking as she watched Emily blush at her use of the word 'sexy'. "This song, for example…"

"Quiet Fire," Emily supplied the title.

JJ smiled and nodded, rather liking the imagery those two words joined together in such an unusual combination created. It was actually fitting. "Well, the title is you – very much so. Quiet, reserved, but intense. The music itself is deep… the tempo is a little playful, but the lyrics are full of an undeniable depth and almost painful longing," she shrugged, feeling suddenly silly trying to explain something like this to a profiler.

"You know," Emily teased, trying to lighten the mood, "you should be a profiler."

JJ chuckled. "Nah, somebody has to keep you guys under control."

Emily laughed softly and tightened her hold on JJ as she relaxed into the couch, enjoying the sultry tones wafting through the speakers and the warmth and comforting weight of the woman in her arms. JJ smiled and buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck, breathing deep the clean, pure scent of the older woman as she relaxed into her embrace.


	9. Chapter 9

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**CHAPTER  
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**9**

The incessant beeping of the kitchen timer tore JJ from Emily's arms and both women felt the loss of contact acutely. Everything between them was so new, and yet it also had an overriding sense of _rightness_ that made not touching an almost painful experience. Emily watched JJ walk toward the kitchen, taking the time to admire the blonde's delicious curves and the way she filled out her jeans, before she slowly worked her way off of the couch herself.

She tried to go into the kitchen to help JJ with the finishing touches on their meal, but her efforts were instantly rebuffed with a soft kiss and a murmured, "Go sit. I'll bring everything out in a second."

She wanted to argue, but could tell that this was something JJ really wanted to do for her so she obliged and did as she was told, taking her seat at the small dining room table to wait. She reached out to trace the edge of the crimson placemat, letting her nail rake over the small grooves of the fabric as she listened to the quiet _clatter_ of plates on the other side of the bar. She looked over the black granite edge and grinned as she watched the way JJ went about her work with a small, pleased smile on her face.

"Here you go," JJ said as she set a plate down on each of their placemats. "I'll be right back with the silver and the drinks."

"I can get them," Emily offered.

"No, you won't," JJ countered, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of Emily's head.

Emily rolled her eyes and relented, again, thinking that she was in for a world of hurt when it came to Ms. Jennifer Jareau – she really was incapable of telling the woman 'no'. "Okay."

JJ heard the soft sigh that escaped Emily the moment she caved, and knew that it was taking a lot for Emily to sit back and give up control like this – even if it was just over dinner. So, she dipped her head down and claimed the brunette's lips in a soft, slow, lazy kiss of appreciation. "Thank you," she hummed as she pulled away.

Emily laughed. "No. Thank you, Jennifer."

"You are such a dork," JJ chuckled as she backed away.

Emily watched JJ lean over the bar to reach for something – the silverware, she assumed – on the other side. Which, of course, provided her with the perfect view of the younger woman's behind. She licked her lips and grinned lasciviously as she let her eyes caress every delicate curve.

"Stop looking at my ass, Prentiss," JJ chuckled.

Emily's eyes flicked up to find smiling blue eyes looking over a thin shoulder at her. She cleared her throat and grinned. "Sorry."

"No you're not," JJ corrected as she popped back up with her hands full of knives, forks, and napkins.

"No, I'm really not," Emily agreed.

JJ shook her head and laughed as she set the silverware down on the table. "You know, I am really liking this side of you," she confessed.

Emily smiled. "I'm enjoying being able to show it to you, so we're even."

JJ returned Emily's smile with a radiant one of her own as she set two wine glasses filled with what looked like white wine down on the table in front of them.

Emily sighed. "Jen, while I appreciate the romantic gesture, I can't drink alcohol right now."

"I know," JJ assured her as she pulled a small matchbook out of her pocket and lit the three small candles she had found and set out in the middle of the table. "It's sparkling cider. I just wanted to set the mood. Would you prefer a glass of water?"

Emily smiled and shook her head, amazed by the amount of thought and effort that JJ had put in to this meal. "This is wonderful, thank you," she murmured as she reached out with her left hand to pull JJ in close. Once JJ was beside her, she gave JJ's arm a gentle tug and smiled as the blonde leaned down for a kiss.

"I will never get tired of that," JJ whispered as she pulled back with a smile.

"I know what you mean," Emily agreed softly as she watched JJ take her seat. She reached out and took hold of the blonde's hand as she lifted her glass of cider. "To illustrious beginnings," she toasted.

"I like that." JJ smiled as she obligingly chinked her glass against Emily's before they each took a small sip.

Emily set her glass down and picked up her knife and fork, carefully cutting off a small piece of chicken to taste JJ's creation. As the sweetness of the sauce combined on her palate with the smokiness of the bacon, the richness of the mushrooms and onions, and the spiciness of the chicken, she let out a low moan of approval. "Jennifer, this is amazing."

JJ felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of Emily's low moan combined with her name and she could only offer a somewhat strangled, "Thank you," in response.

They dined in silence for some time, each of them content to bask in the simple act of enjoying a meal with another person. It was only when their plates had been pushed away that they fell back into their easy flow of conversation as JJ allowed Emily to help her clear the table. The dishes and silver were rinsed and set in the dishwasher and the pans from the stove were washed and dried as the two women laughed, teased, and stole the occasional quick kiss from the other until everything was put away where it belonged.

The soft, melodious jazz music was still pouring from the speakers and Emily smiled as she turned to gather JJ in her arms. "Dance with me?"

JJ tilted her head and smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck. "What brought this on?" she asked as Emily pulled her in closer, so that their hips were pressed lightly together.

"I missed holding you," Emily said with a small shrug as she began to move slowly to the music.

"Mmm," JJ hummed as she moved in closer and began to sway in time with Emily. "This overwhelming urge to touch is going to pose some serious problems for us at work, you know," she noted softly.

"It is," Emily agreed as she leaned in to kiss JJ.

"What are we going to do?"

"What we've always done. Share furtive glances. Perhaps steal a touch every now and again that lingers just a little too long."

"So nothing changes at work, then?" JJ clarified, watching the brunette carefully as they continued to dance to music that neither of them were hearing anymore.

"I don't see why it needs to." Emily shrugged. "As long as I can do this," she tightened her hold on JJ's waist and kissed her again, "when nobody is looking, it'll be worth it."

JJ smiled. "You certainly are a smooth talker, Agent Prentiss."

Emily shook her head. "I'm just being honest."

"I know I said this earlier, but I really am absolutely mesmerized by this side of you," JJ murmured as she slipped a hand out from behind Emily's neck to cradle the uninjured side of the brunette's jaw in her palm.

Emily relaxed into the younger woman's touch. "What side?"

"The side that doesn't have any walls or compartments," JJ whispered, her breath mingling with Emily's between their parted lips, hanging there for a moment before that final distance separating them was closed and warm lips came together in a soft, slow kiss.

Emily moaned as she felt JJ's lips on her own and tightened her hold on the blonde's waist as the kiss grew deeper to allow tongues to touch, stroke, massage. There was no fight for dominance, no struggle for control, just an easy connection of hearts and mutual desires expressed through the simple lover's language of a kiss.

"I have wanted to do this for so long," Emily breathed when the kiss broke.

"Me too," JJ whispered, her eyes still closed, as she leaned in to claim Emily's lips with her own once more.

Emily moaned in to the kiss and began taking slow, careful steps backwards toward the couch, pulling JJ along with her, step-for-step, until the backs of her legs made contact with the sofa. She pulled away from JJ to sit, a flash of disappoint flaring in her heart at the momentary separation, and she wasted no time pulling the blonde down onto her lap.

JJ smiled as she carefully lowered herself to Emily's lap, her legs angled to the side so that she was able to turn back into the brunette. The warmth of Emily's body spread through her as she settled into the older woman's arms and she held Emily's gaze as she dipped her head down to reclaim parted lips that were lifted toward her own expectantly.

Emily sighed as she felt JJ's lips fit around her own and she wasted no time opening her mouth, inviting the blonde in deeper. Twin moans marked the moment their tongues touched and they quickly became lost in each other, forgetting everything except the feeling of the woman in their arms and the feeling of her lips against their own. After a time their kisses slowed to a series of tender, lingering kisses, as they smiled deeply into each other's eyes.

"Wow," JJ whispered as she settled deeper into Emily's embrace. It had been a while since a simple make-out session had left her feeling so completely aroused and, more than that, desired. Even as she leaned back to look at Emily, she could feel the brunette's lips against her own, could still taste the sweetness of Emily's mouth upon her tongue.

Emily smiled and leaned in to press another quick kiss to JJ's swollen lips. "You were pretty 'wow' yourself, there, Jareau."

JJ blushed and reached down to take Emily's hand in her own, automatically twining their fingers together, as she studied Emily's reaction. The brunette's smile grew warmer, softer, more affectionate the longer she gazed at her and she felt as if the brunette were literally stealing the breath from her lungs. "Emily," she rasped as she drank in the emotions swirling in the older woman's gaze.

"Hmm?" Emily hummed, tilting her head to the side inquisitively.

"You're just…" JJ's voice trailed off as she lifted her free hand to carefully trace the curve of Emily's brow.

Emily smiled a small, embarrassed smile as she sat under the blonde's intense gaze.

"Breathtaking."

Emily chuckled. "You are the breathtaking one, Jennifer. Since the moment I met you, you have taken my breath away."

"Mmm. I wanted you that day," JJ confessed.

"The feeling was mutual, I assure you."

"So why did it take us so long to get here?" JJ asked softly, punctuating her question with a kiss.

"Fear," Emily supplied, getting straight to the heart of the matter. "I should have listened to Derek a long time ago," she added.

JJ grinned. "When did you talk to him about me?"

Emily rolled her good eye and shook her head slowly from side to side. "It started not long after I joined the team," she shared. "He and I were out for drinks, just the two of us, and he was trying to push me into dancing with some guy who wouldn't stop staring at me…" her voice trailed off in a laugh as she felt JJ stiffen in her arms.

"What?"

"You're getting mildly jealous over a story," Emily observed. "It's cute. But you have nothing to worry about. Morgan kept pushing until I snapped at him that the guy wasn't my type. He asked why, and I'd had enough alcohol at that point that I told him that the guy wasn't my type because he wasn't a woman."

JJ laughed. "How'd he take that?"

Emily smiled at the memory. "Quite well, actually. He designated me his 'wingman'," she shook her head at the memory of some of their excursions.

"I probably don't want to hear those stories, do I?" JJ smiled.

Emily shrugged. "He probably wouldn't like me to share, but I was always on my best behavior," she assured the blonde with a soft kiss, "my affections were already otherwise engaged."

"When did you tell him about me, then?"

"I didn't, actually. He caught me watching you with what he called a 'stupid-ooey-gooey-lovesick-grin' one too many times and called me on it. He knows we've talked, by the way, he called this afternoon when you were out."

JJ smiled. "Penelope knows too," she shared.

"Ah," Emily nodded. "Somehow I figured she would. Does she approve?" she asked, almost hesitantly. She knew the quirky technical analyst was JJ's best friend and that her opinion really did matter.

JJ kissed Emily softly and nodded. "She does. She's been pushing me to talk to you for quite a while now too."

"And here we are," Emily murmured.

"Finally," JJ agreed as she leaned in to claim Emily's lips.

Emily moaned as JJ's mouth opened over hers and she reflexively arched forward, into the blonde, as she pushed her tongue into the younger woman's mouth. She shuddered as she swallowed JJ's low moan of approval, answering it with one of her own as she felt the blonde turn into her and meet her thrusting tongue hungrily stroke for stroke. Wanting more control, needing more control, she guided JJ backwards onto the couch and covered the younger woman's supine body with her own.

JJ sighed as Emily's body settled atop her own, the brunette's thigh slipping easily between her own to press tight to her center. _God so good_, she thought as she rocked herself up onto the limb. All thoughts of Emily's injury and taking things slow went out the window with that first electric touch as she slid her hands up the brunette's toned torso to palm her full, heavy breasts that she had been dreaming about for months. She groaned as she hefted their weight, a spark lighting low in her belly as she felt Emily's nipples pressing into her palms.

"My god, Jen," Emily groaned as she felt JJ's thumbs brush over her nipples, causing her hips to rock forward, driving herself harder against the younger woman.

JJ's eyes rolled back in her head as Emily's leg flexed against her, delivering the perfect amount of pressure. "Emily," she gasped as her head shot up off the cushion to recapture Emily's lips, wanting that connection, needing to feel Emily's mouth against her skin.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Emily yelled as JJ's head came into contact with her injured cheek. She immediately rolled away from the contact, flinging herself off of the blonde and onto the floor beside the couch as her hands reflexively reached up to cradle her injured face.

JJ froze as she heard Emily swear, felt a wave of absolute terror roll through her as the brunette moved away from her. Her mind, now functioning on all cylinders, quickly determined what must have happened and her terror turned to the stomach-churning realization that she had hurt Emily. That she was the reason Emily was curled up in a ball on the floor and cradling her injured face. "Shit."

She jumped up and somehow managed to fit herself between Emily's body and the coffee table, an incessant string of curses falling from her lips as she tried to see exactly how bad Emily was hurt. "Please, baby," she muttered as she wrapped her fingers around Emily's wrists and began to pull gently against them so she could assess the damage. "Lemme see, Em," she cajoled as she pulled with a little more urgency against the brunette's arms.

"Fucking hell," she groaned as Emily fought against her. "Come on Em, let me see," she pleaded.

JJ's panicked voice broke through the cloud of pain surrounding Emily and she managed a rough, "I'm okay."

"Just let me see if we need to take you to the hospital, please," JJ replied as she again pulled against Emily's wrists.

The threat of being taken back to the hospital was enough to motivate Emily to move her hands so JJ could examine her cheek. "I'm fine, Jayj. Just a bump."

JJ frowned and leaned in close to carefully examine Emily's wounded cheek. "It doesn't look any worse," she muttered, almost to herself, as she ran a hovering finger above the bruise being careful not to touch it.

"It's fine," Emily assured JJ and even managed to push herself up to a sitting position.

Emily's movement did more to reassure JJ than the brunette's words, and she let out a sigh of relief as she watched her maneuver herself back up onto the sofa. She stayed where she was on the floor, afraid to get too close and risk hurting her again. "I'm so sorry," she murmured apologetically.

Emily offered the obviously upset blonde a lopsided smile. "I'm fine, Jennifer. Really."

JJ chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, her brow furrowing with her disbelief, as she studied Emily's open expression. "I'm sorry."

"Please, I was the one who laid you down on the couch and climbed on top of you. It was my fault, I just can't control myself around you," Emily argued, trying to put a playful tone to her voice to ease some of the guilt that was painted across JJ's features.

"I think we should probably slow things down until you're feeling better."

"I think that makes sense," Emily agreed, giving the blonde one of her rare, unguarded smiles. "Come give me a kiss to make it all better?"

JJ rolled her eyes and shook her head even as a small, amused smile tweaked her lips. It was hard to stay serious when Emily was looking at her like that. "I don't think that's the best idea, Em," she sighed.

"It's a brilliant idea," Emily countered as she leaned forward toward JJ. "Please?"

JJ sighed and pushed up to her knees so she could lay a soft, quick kiss to Emily's lips, being careful to avoid the brunette's injuries. "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," Emily repeated, her smile fading as she watched JJ push herself up off the floor and moved to sit on the far end of the sofa. That would just not do. "Please don't avoid me Jennifer," she whispered, holding out a hand toward the blonde. "Come sit with me. We'll just be a little more careful."

JJ's face showed that she was not entirely sold on Emily's idea, but, even still, she obligingly stood to move closer to Emily. "Better?" she asked as she sat down beside the brunette.

Emily reached out and pulled JJ in to her side so that the blonde's body was once again curved comfortingly around her own. "Yes."

JJ wrapped her left arm around Emily's waist as she closed her eyes and laid her head on the brunette's chest. "I'm sorry."

"Jennifer, it's fine," Emily murmured as she pressed her lips to the crown of JJ's head, hoping the touch would reassure the blonde that she really was okay.

"You have no idea how scared I was that I was going to have to call an ambulance to take you to the hospital," JJ muttered against the soft cotton of Emily's sweatshirt.

Emily laughed. "I dunno, it would have been fun to watch Hotch's face as you told him how I reinjured myself."

"Hey!" JJ could not help but laugh. "Yeah, that's just how I want us to come out to the team. 'Hey, guys, yeah. See, me and Emily were making out on the couch…'," she let her voice trail off as Emily's hold around her waist tightened and the brunette's rich, musical laugh filled the air.

"Like I said," Emily chuckled. "It would have been priceless."

JJ rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. "Yeah. Priceless," she repeated drolly.

Emily smiled and lifted JJ's face so she could kiss the blonde softly. "Do you want to tell the team about us?"

JJ shrugged. "Derek and Pen know already, and I have a feeling that Hotch and Rossi do too."

This new piece of information got Emily's attention as she spluttered, "Wait, what? How? When? What?"

JJ smirked. "When you were, um… let's say, confused, Hotch warned me to be gentle with you – that he thought your emotions were such to support your…"

"Delusions," Emily offered with a groan as her words and actions from the hospital the day before flashed through her mind. "Shit."

"They weren't delusions," JJ argued gently.

Emily huffed disbelievingly and refused to answer. It had not been even twelve hours since this whole thing between them started, she was not about to go telling JJ about how she had dreamed so many times of the life she had stupidly rambled on and on about in the hospital.

"He said he saw it before either of us did," JJ offered. "Which means that Rossi probably did too. The only one who probably won't have a clue is Spencer."

"Aw, you don't think Boy Wonder will have caught the signs?"

JJ laughed. "Be nice. He just doesn't think that way. The big problem is going to be…"

"Dragon Lady."

JJ nodded. "Yeah, figuring out what to do about Strauss."

Emily sighed and leaned her head back against the cushions as the reality of their lives threatened to steal the beauty from this oh-so-fragile beginning of a relationship. "Can we have at least have one honest-to-god date before things get complicated?"

JJ smiled. "Of course we can, Em. Is this your way of asking me out?"

"It is now," Emily chuckled softly. "What are you doing next weekend? You know, provided we aren't called out for a case."

_Hopefully you_, JJ thought. "You tell me, Agent Prentiss."

Emily smiled and took a moment to really think about it. Jennifer deserved something special, something romantic, something… "How about if you let me think on that for a bit and I'll get back to you."

"So, should I pencil you in?" JJ teased.

"Forget the pencil, you can just go ahead use a freaking sharpie," Emily quipped. "I guarantee I will not be cancelling on you, and if you play the work card then I guess I'll just have to follow you to whatever hotel, motel, no-tell you're staying at and pick you up there."

JJ laughed. "Such a romantic."

"Don't worry, Jennifer," Emily assured the blonde, her voice dropping into a smooth gray silk that oozed sex as she ran her fingers up and down JJ's back, "when the time is right I _will_ do my damndest to sweep you off your feet. You deserve that, and so much more. But, for now, you know what sounds really good?"

JJ grinned. "I thought we were going to give you a little time to heal?"

"Mind out of the gutter, Agent Jareau," Emily laughed. "Although that does… sound… so… never mind. Chocolate."

"Hmm?" JJ hummed questioningly as she struggled to tear her mind away from the wonderful mental image she just got of Emily covered in chocolate – as she licked her clean.

Emily heard the shift in JJ's tone and knew that the younger woman was entertaining some probably very good ideas that she could do absolutely nothing about at the moment. "I was going to say that chocolate was sounding good," she said, trying to bring the conversation back from the bedroom. "After the richness of dinner something sweet is sounding really good."

JJ grinned and laid a quick kiss to Emily's chin. "Well, you're in luck. I happened to have gotten some chocolaty goodness when I was at the store earlier too."

"You take such good care of me."

"Oh, honey," JJ drawled as she pushed up off the couch. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Emily groaned and shot JJ a pleading look. "Can we _please_ save the innuendo until I can do something about it?"

JJ pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered the dessert she had waiting for them in the fridge. "No," she shook her head. "I don't think we can," she said as she turned toward the kitchen to gather their dessert.

Emily bit back a groan as she looked at the window to watch JJ's reflection sashay toward the kitchen. She could hear the fridge door opening and then there was a quiet clatter of ceramic plates landing on the granite counter. She smiled as she watched JJ's reflection head back toward the couch, a plate in one hand and a small bowl in the other.

"Whatcha got there?" Emily asked as JJ set the plates down on the table.

"Chocolate covered strawberries and whipped cream," JJ answered, sounding rather pleased with herself.

Emily frowned. "Why the whipped cream?"

Now it was JJ's turn to frown in confusion. "What do you mean? You don't dip your strawberries in cream too?"

Emily shook her head. "Never have before, but it sounds good."

JJ grinned. "Oh it is. The second dip makes the strawberry absolutely sinful."

Emily groaned as _her_ mind jumped straight back to the gutter. There was somewhere else that she would like to dip that big, juicy strawberry JJ was waving in front of her face. "I'm convinced. Hit me with it, Jareau."


	10. Chapter 10

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..

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**CHAPTER  
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**10**

JJ sighed as she was waved through the security gate at Quantico. The weekend had flown by in a blink of an eye and she could not comprehend how in the world it was already Monday. It was early, but it was still Monday. She pulled into her parking space at the BAU and killed the engine, taking a moment to gather her thoughts for the day ahead. Mondays were always rough because she had more cases than normal to wade through, files sent over the weekend by over-worked, desperate detectives that she knew were piled upon her desk at that very moment – and today she would not even be able to console herself by looking at Emily.

She knew she should make her way inside and get to work, but she instead stole a moment for herself, to pull out her phone to send off a quick text to Emily whom she was sure would still be asleep. Instead, however, she found a message sitting in her inbox waiting for her.

_If Morgan gives you any trouble, tell him that I will personally kick his ass when I'm allowed to come back. – E_

She smiled and considered her response for a moment before replying, **_I'll miss you today._ **The message was short, but she knew that Emily would understand exactly what she was saying. They had spent the weekend cuddling on the brunette's couch, watching movies, talking, and doing the general get-to-know-you type things that people did when they entered a relationship. She was a little surprised to realize how much she missed the feeling of Emily's touch, the warmth of the brunette's body. It was almost as if some important part of herself was missing.

"This is insane," she muttered with a shake of her head as she opened her car door and reentered the real world with a quiet scuff of shoe leather against asphalt.

She had just passed through the security checkpoint inside the building when her phone buzzed again. _I'll miss you too, Jennifer. Be safe._

She smiled at the message before tucking her phone back into her pocket and heading for the bank of elevators on the far side of the lobby. The sixth floor was quiet this early in the morning and she headed straight to her predictably messy office and shut the door, blocking out the rest of the world as she began to sort through graphic eight by ten glossy prints and neat-type-written case summaries in search for the worst of the monsters hunting their fellow man at the moment.

+++/+++\+++

Emily turned off her television with a disgusted _harrumph_ and tossed the remote onto the table in front of her. Her doctor's appointment wasn't until the next day and she was hoping that by taking it easy today she would be able to pass the physician's scrutiny with enough grace to be released back to work. Even sitting at a desk analyzing files full of horrific details and stomach-churning photographs would be more enjoyable than daytime television.

_And I'd get to see Jennifer,_ she thought to herself, a small smile tweaking her lips as she thought about the beautiful blonde.

She closed her eyes and easily pictured the blonde sitting behind her chaotically organized desk pouring through case submissions and had a suddenly bright idea. She pulled her laptop onto her lap and flipped it open, quickly pulling up the yellow pages for florists around Quantico. She found what she was looking for and grinned as she punched the appropriate phone number into her phone.

"This is going to be great," she announced to the otherwise empty room as she listened to her call ringing through.

+++/+++\+++

A knock on her door pulled JJ's attention from the grisly photographs in front of her. "Come in," she called out, almost thankfully as she leaned back in her chair, grateful for the interruption.

She watched as her door was pushed open slowly to reveal a pair of legs encased in blue jeans and an absolutely gorgeous bouquet of tulips arranged in a delicate vase. "Wow," she drawled, a slow smirk tweaking her lips as she pushed up from her chair to meet the deliveryman halfway.

"Jennifer Jareau?" he asked as he moved the bouquet to the side to look her in the eye.

"That's me." She grinned as she drank in the sight of yellow tulips interspersed with gorgeous pink and white variegated ones. In the center of the bouquet were two different tulips, one pure red, and the other cream. It was, perhaps, the most beautiful arrangement she'd ever seen – if only because she knew exactly who it was that had sent them.

"Perfect, here you go." He handed the vase and flowers over to her and waited while she set them carefully down on her desk. "Sign here, please." He held out the requisite delivery-guy clipboard.

She scribbled her name on the bottom of the page indicating that she had received the delivery and followed the young man to the door, thanking him again before she closed it. "You are something else, Emily Prentiss," she murmured as she turned toward the bouquet, intent on finding the card she knew would be hidden within the greenery.

Sure enough, the small white envelope was nestled safely inside the bouquet on a clear plastic prong. She ripped the envelope open and smiled at the words she found written on the small card. _"Told you I could be romantic. E_," she read aloud. "You did," she muttered as she dropped the card to her desk and ran an appreciative finger over a smooth yellow petal. "You most certainly did."

"Jayj!" Penelope Garcia yelled as she threw the communications liaison's door open.

JJ jumped in surprise at the scream and the sound of her door crashing into the wall and turned to find her friend regarding her with an all-knowing, shit-eating grin. "Garcia," she laughed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You tell me," Garcia drawled as she pushed past JJ to look at the bouquet. "Saw the delivery guy as he was riding up the elevator. Tulips are very nice," she observed. "Are they from our wounded comrade-in-arms?"

JJ rolled her eyes and nodded. "But you can't tell anyone, Pen. Seriously. She wants to go on at least one date before things get complicated."

Garcia nodded knowingly. "Damned Dragon Lady. I'm still trying to find enough blackmail on that Nazi-incarnate to make her leave us all the hell alone. But, enough about that. You got flowers!" she squeed. "Our Ms. Prentiss certainly has a definite flair when it comes to selecting bouquets, that's for sure."

JJ turned to look at the bouquet. "She does?"

Garcia nodded sagely. "Anyone can send roses. It takes somebody who is a certain amount of special to pick out something as gorgeous as this," Penelope murmured as she reached out to touch a red petal. "I printed out the meanings, in case you were curious," she continued as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and held it out. "Very insightful."

JJ laughed and waved her friend off. "Please, Pen. I'm sure she doesn't know the meaning of the flowers. She probably just told the florist…" her voice trailed off as she realized that Emily Prentiss never does anything that she doesn't mean. "Give me that paper," she snatched it from the technical analyst.

Blue eyes scanned the page hungrily and she smiled as she read the descriptions aloud, "Red tulips mean 'believe me' and are a declaration of true love," she murmured as she brushed a finger over the red flower in the center of the bouquet. "Variegated tulips," she moved to touch one of the pink and white blossoms, "mean 'you have beautiful eyes'."

"Awww," Penelope cooed.

"Shut up," JJ laughed. "Yellow tulips mean 'there's sunshine in your smile'."

"That girl sure is a panty dropper."

JJ looked up from the paper and leveled her eyes on her friend. "Pen!"

Penelope grinned and held her hands up in front of herself. "What? She is! Hell, she's not even my preferred gender and I'd put out if she sent me those!"

"Oh my god," JJ shook her head disbelievingly as she looked for the meaning behind the cream-colored tulip. "You are bad Pen. Oh," she gasped as she found the meaning at the bottom of the page. "Cream tulips mean 'I will love you forever'."

"Like I said, panty dropper."

JJ ignored her friend as she picked up the card that came with the flowers to place it safely in her back pocket. It was definitely something to be saved and cherished. "Wow."

"Wow is right," Penelope agreed. "I'm happy for you Peaches."

"Thanks," JJ murmured as she ran a finger over each of the different colored blossoms.

"Well, my work here is done," Penelope chuffed. "I should get back to my babies before they realize I've gone. Come visit me later."

"Mmm," JJ hummed distractedly.

Garcia smiled as she left JJ's office, pulling the door closed after herself. "Well done Ms. Prentiss," she murmured.

+++/+++\+++

Emily smiled as JJ's ringtone shattered the silence inside her house. She had gotten a confirmation email from the florist not long after the flowers she'd ordered had been delivered, and she had been hoping for a phone call from the beautiful woman she had sent them to.

"Hey you," she answered with a smile.

_"Hey yourself,"_ JJ answered with a smile of her own. _"You certainly know how to get a girl's attention, Agent Prentiss."_

"So you liked them then?"

_"They are absolutely gorgeous,"_ JJ answered as she gazed at the flowers on her desk. "_Really, Em. Thank you."_

Emily's eyes softened at the tone in the blonde's voice. "My pleasure. I'm glad you liked them," she whispered.

In her office deep within the bowels of Quantico JJ let out a long, wistful sigh. She wanted nothing more than to be back on Emily's couch, snuggled comfortably in the brunette's arms. _"Can I come see you tonight?"_

"Jennifer," Emily murmured, "you never have to ask. Call me when you're on your way and I'll take care of dinner."

+++/+++\+++

It was after six when she finally closed the last file for the day and set it atop the rest. Tomorrow she would distribute them amongst the team, but for tonight there was nothing so pressing that they had to grab their bags and fly off somewhere to help.

"Thank god," she groaned as she leaned back in her chair, arching her back in a slow stretch that helped ease some of the tension that had built up during the day.

She looked at the flowers Emily had sent her and smiled, deciding that it was time to go home. She stood and slipped her arms into her coat as she debated taking the flowers with her or leaving them where they were. Her natural instinct was to gather the vase and take it with her, but she had liked having them to look at while she worked, a constant reminder that all was not lost and that hope and love not only exist, but also flourish and thrive in the face of such depravity. So it was with one last sniff of their delicate fragrance and one last brush of her fingertips over a soft petal, that she left the bouquet where it was and left her office, locking the door after herself as she went.

She had her phone in her hand the moment she exited the building and wasted no time calling Emily. "Hey."

_"Hey yourself, Jennifer,"_ Emily's smiling voice answered. _"You still at the office?"_

JJ grinned and opened her car door. "Nope. Leaving now."

_"Wow, and before seven. I'm honored."_

"I can always go back inside and find something to do," JJ teased as she pulled out of the lot and started for Emily's house.

_"I see how it is," _Emily laughed. _"I send you two dozen tulips and this is what I get? Snark and teasing?"_

"You'd get more than that if you weren't hurt," JJ replied, smiling as she heard Emily's breath hitch. "Cat got your tongue, Prentiss?"

Emily groaned. _"I… just… damn, Jennifer."_

JJ laughed and turned toward I95. "Do you want me to stop and pick anything up?"

_"Nope. Just bring yourself. And your lips. I missed them today."_

"I missed yours too," JJ whispered. "See you soon, Em."

+++/+++\+++

Emily shook her head and stared at her phone, wondering – and not for the first time – how in the world her life had changed so dramatically in the last four days. It boggled the mind, really, that a week ago she was still a helplessly closeted romantic when it came to all things Jennifer Jareau, and now she was able to send her flowers with little notes and have dinner with her, just the two of them.

"My god, I love my life," she muttered with a grin as she opened up her contact list and dialed up the back kitchen at Ranch.

The call was answered with a rushed, "Yeah," and she could hear the sounds of steaks sizzling and pots and pans clinging in the background

"Hey, Paul – it's Emily Prentiss."

"No way! Emily, darling, how are you? How's your mom?"

Emily smiled at the warmth in her old friend's voice. Paul Walker, now the owner and executive chef at Ranch – one of DC's newest 'it' steakhouses – was at one time the head chef at the Ambassador's residence in Luxembourg. He had seen the way that she had been virtually ignored by her parents and had welcomed her into his kitchen with open arms. It was from him that she had learned how to cook, and if there had been any groceries in her house, she would have put his lessons to good use.

"Mom's good… I think. No news means everything's going well there, you know how it is," Emily answered. "And I am doing well. Great, actually."

"Glad to hear it darling," he answered, and then Emily assumed that he put his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone because his next words, '_Goddammit, no! Not like that!'_, were distinctly muffled. "Look, kiddo, not that I don't love talking to you – but is there a reason you called during the dinner rush?"

"Actually-" Emily smiled "-there is. There's this girl that I've recently started… well, anyways, her name is Jennifer. And she's coming over for dinner tonight. If I sent a car over there to pick up an order, could you make us two of your mouth-watering filets with all the trimmings?"

"Why don't you just swing by and pick it up yourself?"

"I uh… I have a grade three concussion and am not allowed to drive until I get cleared by my doctor," Emily said with a grimace.

Paul laughed. "You always did have the worst luck with hitting your head."

"Hey! This time it wasn't my fault – a suspect decided to use my face for batting practice!" Emily argued with a laugh.

"How about this, then. I'll make you and your girl something special, on the house, and have one of my busboys run it over to you since you're just on the other side of the Mall. Then, when you're all healed up, you bring this Jennifer by the restaurant so I can meet her. She must be something special to have caught your attention like this."

"Believe me, Paul, she is." Emily smiled. "She most certainly is. And you have yourself a deal."

"Take care of yourself kiddo," Paul replied warmly. "I'll talk to you soon."

"You got it. Thanks," Emily murmured.

+++/+++\+++

Emily had just finished setting out plates and silverware when the melodious chimes of the doorbell rang out. She habitually brushed her hands off on her jeans as she turned from the table and checked her watch as she hurried down the hall to the door. She glanced out the peephole and spied a young, good-looking kid in a pair of black slacks and a white button down shirt holding a rather large bag in front of him.

"Hey." She smiled as she opened the door. "Thank you so much for running this over."

"It wasn't a problem at all, ma'am," the kid replied quickly as he handed her the bag. "Chef Paul sends his regards, and told me to tell you to put the desserts into an oven to stay warm."

"Dessert?" Emily murmured as she glanced into the bag of food. "Oh god, he sent the chocolate lava cake."

The kids smiled. "It's a favorite at the restaurant."

"I'm sure it is," Emily assured him. "Here," she pulled a folded bill from her pocket and handed it to the kid. "A tip for running this out here."

The kid's eyes widened as he saw Benjamin Franklin looking back at him. "Wow… Thanks!... I mean.. this is…"

Emily grinned. "Yours, for a job well done." The elevator chimed, and she looked up to see JJ striding out of the car with her familiar, confident gait. She felt her grin soften into a warm, welcoming smile and she reached out a hand toward the blonde once she got close enough to touch. "Hey," she murmured.

"Hey yourself, Prentiss," JJ said, returning the brunette's smile with one of her own.

"Right. Well, I need to get back to the restaurant." The kid cleared his throat. "Enjoy your dinner," he offered with a small bow as he backed away from the two women who were looking as if they were oblivious to anything beyond each other.

JJ was the first to snap out of the spell that had befallen them and she gave Emily's hand a slight tug as she made her way inside the brunette's condo. "Dinner?"

"Um, yeah." Emily blushed. "I was going to cook for you, but then I realized that I didn't have anything that I needed. And since I can't drive yet and I didn't feel like walking to the market, I went with the next best option.

"Delivery," JJ laughed.

"Busted," Emily muttered playfully as she pushed past JJ to set the bag onto the island. She smiled as she heard the blonde close and lock the front door, and then her breath was literally stolen from her when she turned to find herself pulled into a fierce embrace as hungry, seeking lips covered her own.

She moaned into the kiss and reached out for JJ's hips, pulling the blonde in closer as she pushed her tongue between parted, willing lips. The kiss grew slower, deeper, hotter with every brush of tongues as they reacquainted themselves with the taste, the feel, the smell, the very essence of the other's presence after a long day spent apart.

"Mmm," JJ hummed as she broke the kiss.

"Wow," Emily breathed. "What was that for?"

JJ smiled and laid a soft, lingering kiss to Emily's lips. "I missed you. And you sent me flowers."

Emily grinned. "I'll send you flowers every day if this is what I get for it," she murmured playfully as she wrapped her arms around JJ's trim waist and pulled her in even closer. "God, I missed you," she sighed as she buried her face in JJ's hair.

JJ relaxed into Emily's embrace and laid her head on the older woman's shoulder. "How you feeling?"

"Good. Headache isn't nearly as bad, and my cheek only hurts if I touch it."

JJ pulled back to look at Emily's injury. It was looking rather disgusting, the deep purple of the bruise fading to light blue and even greens and yellows toward the edges. "It looks… better," she noted tactfully.

Emily rolled her eyes, as she could now see out of both, and laughed. "I guess 'better' is one way to describe it. Come on Jareau," she pushed lightly against JJ's hips. "Let's eat dinner before it gets cold."

JJ smiled and backed away a little regretfully. She set her purse down on the bar and followed Emily to the table where the brunette began unpacking their dinners. "My lord, Emily," she laughed as she watched carton after carton appear. "What did you order?"

"I called an old friend and had him make us something," Emily explained as she transferred JJ's steak to her plate.

"Old friend, huh?" JJ murmured as she eyed the five-star meal being set out.

Emily grinned. "Perk of growing up an Ambassador's daughter, I suppose. Our old chef has a new restaurant here in the city – I called him up and asked him to send something over for us." She opened up a couple of smaller containers and eyed their contents speculatively. "We have what looks like garlic mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and grilled asparagus. What would you like?"

"Yes," JJ answered with a grin as she headed into the kitchen. "What would you like to drink?"

"What would I like, or what should I have?" Emily replied. "Water will be fine, thank you. I want to make sure I pass my physical tomorrow. If you'd like, there is a nice Cabernet on the rack in the cupboard."

"I'll wait to share it with you," JJ answered as she pulled two pint glasses out of the cupboard above the sink and filled them with water. "Here you go," she murmured as she set the glasses down next to each of their plates that were now filled with steak, mashed potatoes and veggies. "Looks amazing," she observed as she leaned in and kissed Emily's cheek softly. "Thank you."

"Yeah, it was real tough picking up the phone," Emily joked as she speared an asparagus tip with her fork.

JJ just shook her head, recognizing the deflection for what it was and letting it slide. If Emily wanted to play this off as if it were no big deal, she could do that as well. "So, what did you do today?" she asked as she cut into her steak which, she was pleased to note, was cooked to a perfect medium-well – just like she liked it.

Emily shrugged. "Nothing much. Watched some television, stared out the window, sent the most beautiful woman in the world flowers to let her know that I couldn't stop thinking about her… you know, the usual."

JJ blushed at not only Emily's words, but also the warm tone of her voice. "Pen was right," she muttered with a shake of her head.

Emily grinned. "Do I want to know what Garcia was right about?" she asked as she scooped a forkful of potatoes into her mouth.

JJ looked at Emily and grinned. "You really are a panty dropper."

Emily choked on the bite she was trying to swallow. "Ah! Oh! God, Jennifer!" she spluttered as she reached for her glass of water as JJ laughed. "When did she say this?" she squeaked before she took a drink.

JJ's smile faltered as she considered, for the briefest of moments, the possibility that Emily _did not_ know the meaning behind the flowers she had received.

Emily watched the laughter fade from JJ's eyes and knew something was up. "Jennifer?"

"She, ah… she liked the flowers you sent," JJ said softly.

Emily smiled. "That's nice. But I was more concerned about _you_ liking them," she replied. She watched the way JJ blushed a little and looked down at her plate, and had a pretty good idea as to what had the blonde looking suddenly unsure, she added, "I picked those flowers just for you."

JJ felt her heart take flight in her chest as the invisible band of fear loosened. "You knew what they meant?"

Emily nodded. "I'd thought about sending that particular bouquet to you many times, I just figured I'd never get the chance to do it," she confessed as she set her fork down and reached out to take JJ's hand in hers. She ran her thumb over the back of the younger woman's hand as she added softly, "Are you okay with them? With… what they represent?" she asked hesitantly, only now realizing that the single red and cream tulips might have been too much, too soon.

Her fears were soothed, though, by JJ's soft smile and the bob of her head. "Yeah," JJ murmured. "I'm more than okay with it."

"Good." Emily smiled. "So," she continued, "what would you like to do after dinner?" she asked as she turned her attention to her meal.

JJ chuckled. "Well, there is what I would like to do," she looked seriously at Emily, the tenor of her voice and the darkening of her eyes conveying _exactly_ what she would like to do, "and what would be a more appropriate activity given the fact that you have a physical tomorrow morning."

"Jennifer," Emily groaned.

JJ smiled and set her fork down on her plate so her hand was free to motion the brunette closer. "Come here," she instructed.

"Hmm?" Emily asked as she followed the younger woman's directions and leaned in close.

JJ shook her head and pushed herself up out of her seat enough that she was able to claim Emily's lips in a soft, slow kiss. "How about a movie and… a little of this?" she suggested softly, kissing the brunette again for emphasis.

Emily opened her eyes when she felt JJ pull away and licked her lips as she nodded. "I think that could be arranged," she husked as she swept in and kissed JJ again.


	11. Chapter 11

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**CHAPTER  
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**11**

Emily smiled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to call JJ. The doctor had given her the all-clear to resume desk duties and even travel with the team, and had said that, provided she continued to heal as quickly as she was, she should be back in the field in another two or three weeks.

"Hey." She smiled into her phone as she carefully slipped her sunglasses on.

_"Hey,"_ JJ answered. _"How'd it go?"_

"Good. He released me for desk duty, at least."

_"That's good to hear,"_ JJ sighed. _"How long until you can get here?"_

"Um…" Emily stalled as she looked for the car she had hired for the day, finally finding it parked in the back corner of the lot. "Fifteen minutes, maybe," she said as she lifted her arm to signal the driver. She was afraid he had not seen her, until the sound of the sedan's V-8 turning over rumbled through the parking lot. "Why?"

_"Because we're going wheels up in about forty-five. Got a case in Connecticut."_

"Yeah, I was watching some of the coverage on that one yesterday. I was wondering if we were going to end up out there."

_"Well, we are. They just found another three bodies, the media is swarming, and they want this thing solved two days ago."_

"I'll bet," Emily sighed. "I'm getting into the car now. I'll be there in a few."

_"Make it faster than that,"_ JJ replied. _"You're going to have to talk Hotch into letting you come with us, you know how he gets."_

+++/+++\+++

JJ was busy collecting the files she would need for the trip when she heard a chorus of "Prentiss!" explode out in the bullpen. She smiled as her eyes reflexively flashed to the bouquet on her desk, and she found herself having to fight the urge to go out there herself. They had agreed to keep things professional at work and it wasn't until just now that she realized exactly how difficult that was going to be.

So, even though she wanted to go out to the bullpen to say hello to Emily, she stayed in her office, finishing up the work that needed to be done. She only looked up from her papers when there was a playful knock on her open door. "Hey," she smiled as she let her eyes rake up Emily's body, finally meeting the brunette's warm, smiling gaze.

"Hey yourself, Jareau," Emily teased, looking over her shoulder quickly before entering JJ's office and closing the door after herself. "Nice flowers."

"Yeah," JJ grinned, playing along. "Some girl sent them to me."

"Just some girl, huh?" Emily drawled as she crossed the small space to stand right next to JJ. "Well, this 'girl' has excellent taste in flowers. Tulips are a bold choice. The yellows and the variegated ones suit you well."

"I especially like the red one," JJ shared.

Emily smiled and brushed her hand over JJ's cheek. "Me too," she smiled as she leaned in closer to steal a kiss.

"Security cameras," JJ warned softly as she leaned away, an unmistakable note of regret in her voice.

"Damn FBI," Emily grumbled. "Later?"

"Definitely," JJ murmured. "Have you seen Hotch?"

"Not yet, I wanted to come see you first."

"While that's sweet, you should really go see him. We're going to have to leave in a few minutes for the plane."

"I know," Emily groaned, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "I just… I know. I'll go see him now."

JJ sighed and looked up at the camera in the corner of the office above the door. She knew it was there for security purposes and that it didn't have sound – but, until today, it had never seemed oppressive. She smiled understandingly as she followed Emily to the door, her grin growing wider as they slipped under the camera's view.

"Hey," she called out softly, reaching out and catching Emily's arm before she could open the door.

"Hmm?" Emily hummed questioningly as she turned to look at JJ.

JJ lifted her chin toward the ceiling and answered, "We're invisible here."

Emily's confusion disappeared and was replaced with a slow, expectant grin. "We are, huh?"

JJ nodded and gently pushed Emily back against the wall. Once the brunette was pinned, she cupped the smiling woman's face in her hands and leaned in, claiming her lips in a kiss that set both their pulses racing.

Emily sighed and relaxed into JJ's caress, a low moan escaping her as she felt JJ pull away. "Wow."

JJ grinned. "You say that a lot," she observed as she leaned in and gave the brunette one last quick, chaste kiss. "Now, go see Hotch while you can."

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied with a goofy grin and a sloppy salute.

JJ shook her head and laughed as she opened the door. "Go, Prentiss."

Emily licked her lips and nodded, making sure to 'accidentally' brush against JJ as she passed. Her grin grew wider as she heard the blonde's breath hitch. "See you soon," she murmured.

Not even a minute later she was standing outside the Unit Chief's open door and knocking lightly on the frame. "Hotch, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure, come on in," he said without looking up as he continued to pack up the materials he thought they might need for the case. "What's up?"

"I got cleared," Emily replied, holding out the paper from the doctor which spelled out the exact limitations of her release.

Hotch frowned thoughtfully as he scanned the report from Emily's doctor. He was surprised to see that the physician cleared her for everything short of actual field work. "You're not cleared for the field," he observed.

"But he cleared me to travel," Emily pointed out. "I don't _have_ to go in the field to help. I can run victimology from the precinct, do the geographical data mapping as it's needed. I can be of more help there Hotch, don't make me stay here," she argued, not caring that she was practically begging. She couldn't stand the idea of JJ going off to hunt this monster with her stuck back on base at Quantico.

Hotch stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied Emily carefully. The brunette had always been eager to prove herself to both him and the team and the time had long since passed when she'd needed to prove anything to anybody, so he had a pretty good idea of why she was so eager to travel with the team. And that reason was one thing that did need to be cleared up as soon as possible. No matter how much he wished his two female agents happiness in their personal lives, he also had a unit to run.

He moved around his desk to close the door to his office. "Does this have anything to do with the flower delivery JJ got yesterday?" he asked, getting directly to the point of the matter as he picked up his phone and punched in an extension. "My office, now, please," he ordered without preamble and hung up before the person on the other end could respond.

Emily sighed softly as she seriously considered her response to his question. It did, and yet it didn't. She wanted to be with JJ however she could, but she also knew that she would lose her ever-loving mind if she were forced to stay back at Quantico and run data. "I'm not exactly sure how to answer that, sir," she finally answered.

He nodded and let silence overtake the room as he waited for JJ, who arrived a few seconds later, announcing her presence with a quick knock on the door as she pushed it open slowly.

"Hotch?" the blonde asked as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind herself before moving to stand beside Emily.

Hotch looked from JJ to Emily, noting their obvious concern. "You both know that I am supposed to put a stop to this," he said, waving a hand between the two women indicatively. "It is no secret that the Bureau has strong views on the matter of teammates becoming involved romantically. So, we need to establish some ground rules."

"Ground rules, sir?" Emily spoke up.

Hotch nodded. "When we are at work or in the field, so long as it's in an official FBI capacity, I expect you both to conduct yourself in a professional manner. You need to be SSA Jareau-" he looked pointedly at JJ before shifting his gaze to her partner "-and you need to be SSA Prentiss. There can be no blurring of the lines. And, god forbid you have a fight or break up, I don't want to see it in my bullpen. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," JJ answered.

"Crystal," Emily replied.

"Good," Hotch smiled. "Now that we have that out of the way, let me say that I am happy for the both of you and that you can count on me to have your backs should your relationship become an issue with the Bureau."

Emily let out a small sigh of relief and looked over to JJ who she could see was equally relieved. They had both hoped that Hotch and the rest of the team would support them, but it was reassuring to hear it.

"Thank you, Hotch," Emily said sincerely.

He just nodded and turned back to the work he'd been doing before Emily had entered his office. "Wheels up in twenty," he announced by way of a dismissal.

+++/+++\+++

JJ sighed as she dropped into what she liked to call 'her' seat on the team's private plane. She kicked off her shoes and relaxed into the plush leather seat, delighting in the way it conformed to her body. Their job could be a living hell most of the time, but this plane made it at least a little bit bearable.

"Hey." Emily smiled as she came to a stop in the aisle next to where JJ was sitting. "Is this seat taken?"

JJ laughed and waved at the open seat invitingly. "You are such a dork. Get over here," she instructed, her smile growing as Emily sat down beside her. "I'm glad you're coming with us," she murmured as she reached out to rub her foot against Emily's calf.

"Me too." Emily smiled.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wouldya lookey here," Morgan crowed as he threw himself into the seat opposite JJ's.

"Morgan," Emily growled warningly, her eyes flashing fire. "Behave."

Derek grinned and gave each of the women a knowing wink as he slouched in his seat. "Somebody-" he waggled his brows at JJ "-got a flower delivery yesterday," he shared, as if Emily hadn't known. "Has the whole floor speculating as to who sent them."

Emily smirked at her partner. "The whole floor?"

"Well, Reid and the other teams are guessing," he conceded.

"I told you Spence wouldn't have a clue," JJ muttered.

"Spence wouldn't have a clue about what?" Reid asked as he stopped beside their grouping of chairs. "I'll have you know that I am not oblivious to the world around me. I know something is going on."

"Do you?" Emily asked, tilting her head questioningly.

"I do." He nodded as he lowered himself to the empty chair beside Morgan. "JJ, for example, got flowers delivered yesterday and she has been much happier than usual – so that leads me to believe that she is in a new relationship."

"It does, huh?" Emily played along, shooting a sidelong glance at JJ who was now blushing adorably.

Reid nodded. "It does. And, Morgan and Garcia have been spending more than their usual amount of time flirting and gossiping which suggests that they know who this mystery man is as well."

Emily shot Morgan a look, to which he responded with an unapologetic shrug. "Really," she drawled.

"Yes," Reid replied, sitting up straighter in his chair as he found his groove. "But what strikes me as being more than a little strange is the fact that you are not getting jealous like you normally do whenever JJ is the object of somebody's attention."

This observation had Morgan and JJ laughing out loud, which confused the poor genius terribly.

Emily scowled. "I do not get jealous."

"Actually," Morgan interrupted, rather enjoying the flustered look his partner was now wearing, "you do, princess."

"Do not," Emily retorted.

"You kind of do, Em," JJ corrected the brunette in a loud whisper, offering Morgan a conspiratorial wink as she did.

Emily turned to glower at JJ but her scowl disappeared into a goofy grin as she met the younger woman's gaze. "Well, can you blame me?" she replied playfully, letting her eyes soften until they were filled with the depth of her affection for the blonde.

JJ licked her lips and shook her head. "No," she murmured with a small shake of her head as she held Emily's gaze captive.

"I'm confused," Reid piped up.

Morgan chuckled. "You two just keep having eye sex while I explain the beauty of Sapphic love to our dear Doctor Reid."

Reid's eyes widened as he processed what Morgan had just said. "Oh, I see," he muttered, shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat as he looked at JJ and Emily. "So, there is no mystery man."

"No, there isn't," Emily answered him seriously.

Reid nodded. "Oh." He met JJ's concerned gaze and smiled. "Okay."

"Good, so… now that we have the big ol' coming out thing outta the way, details!" Morgan announced with a lascivious grin as he rubbed his hands together expectantly.

"Don't think so, partner," Emily laughed, nodding her thanks to the man for lightening the mood considerably.

"Details about what?" Reid asked.

Morgan slapped a palm to his head dramatically and groaned. "Are you serious?"

"Serious about what?" Hotch's voice broke through the playful bubble that had surrounded the group.

"Nothing, sir." Emily shook her head.

"Good," he replied as he took a seat opposite the group. "I know we did a briefing on this case earlier, but now that Emily is joining us I want to run through it all again so that we are all on the same page."

The four younger agents all sat up a little bit straighter as they slipped into 'work mode'. "I was following the case on the news yesterday, so I know some of what is happening," Emily shared as she watched David Rossi board the jet.

"Excellent," Hotch nodded. "With the three bodies that were discovered this morning, the body count is up to eight. Two of the women recovered today have already been identified by the local Medical Examiner's office," he explained as he looked up and caught Rossi's eye. "Right, we're about to take off. Prentiss, look through the file and we'll go through it more once we're in the air."

Emily nodded and took the file that JJ had pulled out to hand her. She flipped it open and glanced over the first page as the plane began to taxi toward the runway. She flipped through the file as the plane went through the usual take-off procedures and once they were in the air she looked up from the file to focus on JJ, who began filling her in on some of the finer details of the case.

"The first five victims were found on a remote beach just outside Fenbrook, Connecticut, without any form of identification on or near the remains. No clothes, watches, wallets, cell phones. Due to the fact that the bodies were skeletonized, and that scavengers had made off with some of the bones, the autopsy has only given us the basics: gender, race, height range, age range. All are Caucasian, and in the thirty to forty-five age range. All are Jane Does at this point."

Emily nodded as she flipped through some of the pictures nestled in the back of the folder she was perusing.

"Victims six through eight are fresher, so there was a little bit more to find as the bodies had not decomposed enough for evidence to be destroyed. Because there is more evidence we know that they are all female, Caucasian, and in their early thirties. Six is still a Jane Doe, seven and eight have been identified as Michelle Turner and Rebecca Holland, respectively."

"Autopsy and toxicology reports on these three?" Emily asked as she flipped to the back of her file.

"The local ME brought in some outside help and they are working on all three as we speak. He hopes to have something for us by the time we get up there."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"Local PD are compiling data on Turner and Holland, Garcia is working her magic, and we are going to handle the interviews of the families. Rossi and I will handle those," Hotch said. "Reid, Morgan, go out to the beach where the bodies were all recovered and see if you can't get a read on this guy."

"The one time I forget to pack my flip-flops," Morgan groaned.

Hotch ignored the quip and continued giving instructions. "JJ, you know what to do. Try and get that department sealed up as tight as possible – I don't want any industrious reporters finding a talkative detective and getting details of this thing. Emily, you're going to be riding a desk at the precinct. Pour through all the information we have regarding the last two victims that have positive IDs. Run any ideas through Garcia, see if you can't come up with possible IDs for the Jane Does."

Emily nodded. "Right."

"These IDs could be the break we need to catch this guy, I want everybody ready to roll as soon as we touch down."

+++/+++\+++

Emily leaned back in her chair and ran her hands through her hair as she watched JJ handling the local police, enamored as she always was of the blonde's ability to command attention. She caught JJ's gaze for the briefest of moments when the blonde looked her way, and she couldn't help but smile as she watched the blonde instructing the local cops and begin running through her media procedures and what she was expecting them to say to reporters should they accidentally get cornered by one. She watched JJ wave the group down the hall, presumably to inspect the precinct's media briefing room, assuming this small town police department even had one. She sighed and returned her attention to the open file in front of her as JJ's voice trailed off down the hall, leaving her alone to her thoughts and the gruesome details of the case they were asked to help solve.

She was halfway through the file on the most recently recovered body when something caught her eye. She frowned thoughtfully as she pulled her phone from her pocket, reflexively hitting the third number on her speed dial.

Penelope Garcia picked up after the first ring. _"Talk dirty to me, princess." _

Emily dropped the pen she'd been twirling between her fingers. "Um, sorry. What?" she stuttered, cringing as Penelope's musical laugh boomed out of her phone.

_"You are too easy,"_ Garcia chuckled. _"What's up, sweetness?"_

"Can you hack into the Craigslist database?"

Garcia scoffed. _"Don't insult me, I'm still trying to figure out how stern of a 'if you hurt her' speech you're going to get. What do you need?"_

"Rebecca Holland. Report says she advertised her services on Craigslist. Roommate last saw her as she was heading out to meet with somebody she met via the site. Can you get into her account and trace who she was corresponding with?"

_"And thus, Craigslist became the modern pimp." _

"PG," Emily sighed, running a tired hand over her face. "Shit," she hissed as she accidentally brushed her injured cheek.

_"What's up?"_

"Nothing," Emily groaned as she waited for the pain to ease. "Do you have anything yet?"

_"Oh, have ye a little faith. Our girl was quite popular with the fellas," Penelope_ replied. _"Hmm, and the ladies, too, by the looks of it. Wow, lots of ladies. You go girl. Gotta love anti-discrimination at work."_

Emily rolled her eyes. "Okay. How about Michelle Turner?"

_"Way ahead of you, Casanova,"_ Penelope drawled. _"She had an account too, but was not nearly as active as Rebecca Holland. Mostly selling stuff. Couches, a dresser, old textbooks, the usual."_

"Damn," Emily groaned.

_"Hold on,"_ Garcia cut in. _"I'm running a cross-check through the users that accessed each of their ads and there were twelve accounts that accessed ads from both women."_

"And they couldn't figure this out before now?" Emily muttered. "What were they doing up here?"

_"You probably don't want me to answer that,"_ Garcia replied seriously.

"Can you find out what else the owners of those accounts looked at over the last…" Emily's voice trailed off as she pulled the file for what was assumed to be the first victim. "Seventeen months."

_"Wow, this guy is controlled,"_ Garcia observed.

"And thorough," Emily agreed.

_"Okeydokey my little love bug, I'll hit you up when I got something."_

"You are awesome, PG – thanks."

_"Sucking up isn't going to get you out of that talk, princess,"_ Garcia warned.

Emily smiled at the warmth in her friend's tone. "Can't blame a girl for trying," she laughed.

_"I guess I can't. Garcia, out."_

+++/+++\+++

Emily flipped the last manila file closed and pushed herself up from her chair, arching her back to work out some of the kinks that had settled in during her hours hunched over the table reading file after file, trying to find some piece of information that might help them catch the unsub.

"How's it going?" JJ murmured from her position in the doorway, where she had been standing, watching the brunette work for the last five minutes or so.

"It's going," Emily groaned, offering the blonde a small, tired smile as she glanced at her watch. "When do you think the guys are going to be back?"

"Reid called about twenty minutes ago, so they should be back any time now. Hotch just called in, said they were leaving Michelle Turner's parents' house. ETA thirty minutes."

"So I have enough time for coffee," Emily sighed. "Excellent."

JJ smirked. "I did some asking around, the LEOs told me that there's a good little place about a block down if you want to make a run for it."

Emily whimpered at the thought of real coffee. She'd been drinking the precinct's typically awful mix all afternoon, and a decent cup was sounding damn near orgasmic at this point. "You want anything?" she asked, her question signifying that she was indeed going to make a run.

JJ cocked her head to the side and openly appraised Emily, letting her gaze rake up the brunette's body inch-by-inch, gliding over soft curves and intimate valleys as she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. She smiled as she focused for the space of a few heartbeats on the brunette's lips before finally meeting molten chocolate eyes. She nodded. "I guess," she answered, her casual acceptance offset by the distinctly smoky tone of her voice. "You know what I like, surprise me."

Emily laughed and shook her head before looking up through her lashes at the teasing blonde. "My god, Jennifer."

JJ arched a brow, feigning innocence. "What?"

Emily just shook her head again, indicating that she was not going to respond, and made her way across the small space for the door. She paused beside JJ and leaned in close, lowering her voice so that only they would hear. "Someday soon, I hope to learn _everything_ you like, and I look forward to surprising you more than you will ever know."

JJ's next breath escaped on a ragged exhale. "My god, Emily."

Emily smirked, knowing that she had won this round. "But, for now… coffee. Be back in a jiffy!" she called over her shoulder, putting a little extra strut into her step as she could feel the hungry weight of JJ's eyes glued to her ass.

"Emily!" JJ's voice called after her.

She smiled and turned to face the blonde. "Yeah?"

JJ just shook her head and threw herself into motion, quickly closing the gap between herself and Emily. "I'll come with you."

Emily smiled and pushed the glass front door of the precinct open with her right hand as she ushered the blonde forward with a gallant wave of her left. "After you, then."

"Such a gentleman," JJ teased as she walked through the door.

Emily, hyper-aware of the eyes upon them, opted to say nothing as she followed JJ down to the sidewalk. She immediately took the outside track, placing herself between JJ and the street, and she found herself fighting the urge to reach out and hold the blonde's hand. When they reached the corner coffee shop, like before, she moved ahead of the younger woman to get the door, smiling shyly as JJ walked past her with a grin.

Emily followed JJ into line and stood closer to the blonde than would normally be appropriate as she placed a discrete hand onto the small of the younger woman's back. After having spent hours reading through gruesome reports, looking at even more nightmarish photographs, she found herself immeasurably calmed by JJ's presence.

JJ turned to smile at Emily and relaxed into the touch upon her back, saying without words how much the contact was welcomed. They made their way toward the registers with slow, halting half-steps and when they reached the front of the line JJ rattled off the team's typical orders while Emily pulled her wallet out of her pocket to pay.

Six white cups were distributed between two cardboard trays, and before long they found themselves back in the small, cramped briefing room at the back of the Fenbrook Police Station. Their brief escape had reenergized them both more than the caffeine they were now drinking; and Emily leaned back in her chair and smiled as she watched JJ pass off the cups to their friends as they returned 'home' from their afternoon excursions.


	12. Chapter 12

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**CHAPTER  
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**12**

Hotch took a long drink from his coffee as he settled back in his chair. "Reid, Morgan, let's start with you two. What did you find at the scene?"

Reid waved a deferential hand at Morgan who nodded and took another small sip of his coffee before filling the team in on what the two of them had found. "Not a whole lot, really. It's secluded, which is perfect for a body dump, no houses or other buildings around the area where people might see something. The closest building of any kind is about a mile up the road in either direction. We stopped and talked with the owners of the two buildings, one is a document printing company and the other is empty – used to be some sort of a textile plant."

"Video surveillance at the printers?" Hotch asked.

Morgan shook his head. "Negative for the outside of the building that faces the street. There's a camera in the back where they load up the trucks – but nothing that is going to be of any use to us. The empty building is obviously useless to us as well. Because of the remoteness of the site, and the fact that you have to drive over two different dirt roads to get there – I'd say our unsub is a local, or has at least lived or worked here at one point. These roads are difficult to find, only somebody familiar with the area would even know they're there."

Hotch nodded. "Good. Emily?"

Emily cleared her throat and stood to approach the board as she addressed the team. "There wasn't really anything useful for forming a profile from the first five victims, but we knew that flying up. Now, the last three are more interesting. Toxicology reports on all of them were negative. Doesn't rule out the possibility of the unsub using drugs to abduct and or subdue the women, but at their time of death their systems were clear," she shared.

"Now," Emily continued, waving a hand at the board behind her, "what was interesting is that beyond the bruising we'd expect to find in cases of sexual assault, all three of the most recent victims presented with crushed hyoids, which we know is most often seen in manual strangulations carried out with an extreme amount of force. The cold weather helped preserve evidence on the last two victims and from the identifications we were able to get a little bit more," she explained as she looked down at the eight by ten glossies littering the tabletop.

"From the missing persons report Rebecca Holland's roommate filed, we know she was going out to meet a man she met through _Craigslist_. I had Garcia run a cross-comparison of users who accessed her ads with those who accessed Michelle Turner's ads and she came up with twelve similarities."

"Was Turner turning tricks too?" Morgan asked.

Emily shook her head. "No. Her ads were for the usual – selling furniture, books, etc."

"Nothing remotely escort related?" Rossi asked for clarification.

"Not that I could find. Garcia is tearing through her hard drive remotely as we speak, but for now I'm going to have to say no. Hard to say how long he kept them because we can't get a pinpoint on when, exactly, they were dumped, but both Turner and Holland showed signs of sexual abuse. No DNA, though. He was careful."

Hotch nodded thoughtfully. "The families were appropriately shocked, distraught, upset. Both said there had been no indications of trouble. As far as either of them knew, neither woman was in a relationship."

Emily nodded. "There was no evidence left on the bodies, we only got IDs on the last two because they both had prints in the system. Holland got picked up for prostitution and Turner was a teacher. All the bodies were clean – no clothes, wallets, purses, phones, nothing that could be used as a means of identification which means he has at least a working knowledge of basic forensics."

"So, give me a profile," Hotch spurred the team on.

"Local," Morgan offered. "Either by living or working in the area."

"Male," Reid piped up, stating the obvious. "Strong. Works out. The bodies were a good three hundred feet off the road. A car couldn't have gotten down there which means he had to carry them."

"Most likely has a background with law enforcement," Emily added. "Or, at the very least, has an understanding of crime scene procedures, how evidence is collected, and so on. The bodies were too clean."

"Mid thirties to late forties," Morgan chimed in. "More than likely has been picked up for assault or something similar in the past. Either domestic violence or even a bar fight. He has a temper."

"Manual strangulation is personal, so he feels an extreme hatred toward these women for some reason," Emily added.

Reid flexed his eidetic memory as he said, "If these are his only victims, something may happened around seventeen, eighteen months ago to set him off. Some kind of a trigger. Divorce? Bad break up?"

"Death of a girlfriend or wife?" Rossi mused.

"Possibly," Emily agreed. She looked ready to say something else when her phone started ringing. She reached for it, glanced at the screen, and put the caller onto speaker. "Hey Garcia, you're on speaker. What do you have for me?"

_"Is everybody there?"_ Garcia asked.

"Hey Baby Girl," Morgan greeted.

_"Hey hot stuff, you miss me?"_ the technical analyst cooed.

"Garcia," Hotch prodded.

_"Sorry, sir. Work now, flirt later. Right girls?"_ she teased.

"Penelope," Emily warned.

_"Okay! Geez. You will be so much easier to deal with once you finally get…"_

"GARCIA!" JJ and Emily yelled.

A melodious giggle was their only response before Penelope flipped whatever internal switch she had that made her flip between playful and professional, and got down to business. _"I ran those twelve accounts that accessed ads posted by both of our last two victims. Three were women…"_

"The profile says the unsub is male, so rule them out for now," Morgan interrupted.

_"Right-O, my chocolate Adonis. Well then, that leaves lucky contestants one through nine. I'm sending their information to you now. Somebody got a laptop open?"_

"I see it," JJ called out as she opened the attachment, she quickly sent the document to print. "Hold on while I grab the pages from the printer," she called out as she hurried out of the room and down the hall to where the precinct's printers were housed.

_"No projection screen?"_ Garcia asked, sounding surprised. "_How… primitive."_

"Here comes JJ," Emily laughed as she watched JJ jogging back toward them with a handful of papers. She smiled at the blonde as she took her offered pages before turning her attention to what they said.

"All right, we have the information," Hotch said as the team immediately began reading through what Garcia had sent them.

_"Any questions, my lovelies?"_ Penelope drawled, and Emily could almost picture the quirky technical analyst spinning around in her chair as she spoke.

"Where do they live?" Hotch asked as he skimmed through the brief, bulleted bios.

_"Two are in New Haven, three are in Westbrook Center, three are in Old Saybrook, and one is in Essex,"_ Garcia reported.

"Rebecca Holland lived in Saybrook Manor, and Michelle Turner lived in Essex Village," Morgan said as he set the information Garcia had sent down to flip through his notes.

"We're thirty miles from New Haven," Emily noted. "That's a hell of a drive to dump a body."

"Garcia, do any of those nine have a background in law enforcement, lab techs, EMS, or something similar?" Hotch asked.

_"Yes, sir,"_ Garcia confirmed. _"Three of them do. Robert Sampson, Brett Lane, and Timothy McGregor."_

"What fields?" Emily asked as she scribbled the names on the board.

_"Sampson is a detective first grade in New Haven, Lane is a beat cop in Westbrook, looks like he's currently on traffic detail, and McGregor is a CSI tech – works in Old Saybrook but lives in Essex."_

"Can you work your magic and find out if they're married?" Emily asked.

_"But of course,"_ Garcia replied, and the team could hear the tech guru's keyboard keys clicking rapidly_. "Sampson is married, wife Jamie is a kindergarten teacher. Oooh, pretty. Wonder why he was contacting an escort? Lane is single, no history of marriage and/or divorce. And McGregor was married, but…,"_ her voice trailed off as she typed, _"it looks like his wife filed for divorce a year and a half ago."_

Hotch nodded as he watched Emily finish writing the information on the board. "Any history of violence?"

_"Not that I've found, but I'll keep looking, sir. Do you want me to look through all nine?"_

"Yeah," Hotch answered. "Better to cover all our bases here. When you're done with that, I want you to gather everything you can find on Sampson, Lane, and McGregor and send it over when you're done."

_"Will do, oh captain my captain. Go get the bad guys, my mighty, mighty crime fighters."_

"You're awesome, Baby Girl," Morgan called out. "We'll talk later. Ciao."

"Okay," Hotch said, drawing the team's attention back onto himself. "JJ, you prepare a press release while the rest of us fill the local detectives in on the profile," he looked around at his team, immediately noticing the exhaustion lining Emily's face. "It's already seven, so we'll finish up here and head to the hotel for the night. I want to talk to these three, but at this point they're merely persons of interest and by the time we brief the LEOs on the profile, and then drive out to their houses it'll be after eight thirty. There's no way we'd be able to finish all three interviews tonight since Prentiss isn't cleared for the field and I don't like the idea of any of us going into one of the interviews alone, so let's give Garcia time to see what she can find and we'll interview them in the morning."

The team nodded and Emily watched as JJ shot her a quick glance before heading down the hall to the small office she'd commandeered to prepare her statement. She stood with the rest of the guys and went to stand against the front wall, preparing herself to present their profile to the local authorities.

"How you holding up?" Morgan murmured as he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Good," Emily answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Morgan shrugged. "No reason. Just that, you know, you got whacked upside the head with a two-by-four not even a week ago."

Emily rolled her eyes and smirked. "Psht, doesn't even hurt."

"Yeah, whenever I have bruises that are yellow and puce – they never hurt either."

"It's not puce."

"Parts of it are," he confirmed, tilting his head to the side as he studied her face. "That bit right there, for example…" he pointed at a dark pinky-purple section of her bruise that was sandwiched between equally disgusting blue and green parts. "Really, your face is a rainbow, Prentiss. Kind of like…"

Emily scowled at him. "You make one gay joke Morgan and I **_will_** beat your ass."

Morgan laughed and held his hands up defensively. "Geez. Garcia was right, you will be so much easier to deal with once you get laid."

Emily's jaw dropped, but any further retort on her part was stifled by the influx of detectives and Hotch stepping forward to begin the briefing. "It's important to note that this is only a profile, and it's a working profile at that. From the information we have at the moment, we believe the unsub you're looking for in this case is…"

+++/+++\+++

Emily stood off to the side of the hotel lobby, watching JJ as she talked with Hotch and Rossi, presumably giving them their room keys. She let her eyes trail slowly over the blonde's form, taking in the tired set of her shoulders before dropping down, lower, to appreciate the curves on display. Her ogling, however, was cut short though as she caught sight of Morgan and Reid making their way over to her.

She immediately straightened her posture and turned toward the guys. "What's up?"

Morgan hiked a brow. "You tell me," he replied vaguely as Reid looked on, slightly confused.

Emily rolled her eyes, knowing that her 'wingman' had seen her staring at JJ. "Shut up."

"Are you two fighting again?" JJ teased as she approached the group. "God, I can't take you anywhere. Okay, look, there was an issue with the rooms, but I managed to get us something."

"What kind of an issue?" Emily asked.

JJ rolled her eyes. "They only saved three for us. I had them call around, but everything else around here is booked out because of the media that's in town because of the case. So we're stuck. All the rooms have double beds, so we're just going to have to bunk up for this trip."

"Who am I supposed to share with?" Morgan asked as he watched Emily sidle in closer to JJ.

"Reid," JJ replied, holding out a little envelope containing two electronic key-cards. "Here are the keys for your guys' room."

"Why Reid? No offense, buddy."

"None taken," Read answered breezily, he was too busy studying the fresco painted on the ceiling of the hotel lobby to pay too much attention to what was being said around him. As long as he ended up in a room with a bed and a shower, he was happy.

"Well," JJ countered with a superior grin, "as the Bureau has strict regulations about agents of different genders sharing hotel rooms while on assignment, your choices are Reid, Hotch, or Rossi. If you hurry, I'm sure you can catch them before they go up."

"Mom and Dad?" Morgan whined as he looked over his shoulder to where Hotch and Rossi were waiting for an elevator, obviously in a heated discussion about something – probably the case. "Fine. Give us our key," he grumbled as he snatched the envelope out of JJ's hand.

"You're in room 304, Hotch and Rossi are in 511, and we'll be in room 743," JJ shared, holding out a business card that she'd taken from the front desk and written the information on in case they needed to call from room to room.

Morgan's look of discontent morphed into an evil-knowing grin as he looked up. "You two are sharing a room?"

"Well, yeah, genius," Emily replied. "If there are only three rooms, there are six of us, and we're the only women…"

"Well then, go get some, Prentiss." He grinned, holding his fist out for a bump.

Emily just stared at him.

"Sleep," Morgan added hastily, shoving his hand in his pocket. "Go get some sleep. We'll see you two in the morning."

Reid jumped when Derek punched him lightly in the arm to get his attention, and he offered JJ and Emily a sheepish smile and a soft, "Good night, girls," before he turned and followed Morgan to the elevators with a, "Hey! Wait up! You didn't give me a key!"

Emily rolled her eyes at the pair as she watched Morgan hold the door open for Reid. She reached down for the handle of her bag as she turned toward JJ. "You ready, then?"

JJ nodded and grabbed her own bag, silently following Emily toward the elevators. This was not the first time that they had shared a room while on a case, but there was an added level of unease, no, anticipation about the situation now that they were, for lack of a better description, dating. "Are you okay with this?" she asked as she studied Emily's reflection in the burnished brass of the elevator doors.

Emily turned to JJ and smiled. "Of course."

"Good," JJ murmured.

The elevator doors opened before them with a quiet _ping_ and Emily immediately placed her hand over the doors, holding them open for JJ to enter the car first. As soon as JJ was inside, she followed suit, and soon the car was on the way up to the seventh floor. Once again, as the doors slid open, she placed her arm over the gap to allow JJ to exit before her, and as she followed the blonde down the typically beige and hunter green hallway she gave herself a little pep-talk.

_You can do this, Prentiss. No problem. You promised Hotch that when we are out in the field that you would conduct yourself in a professional manner. You are a professional. Just because she has the most amazing body and the sweetest tasting lips you've ever been blessed enough to kiss, you _**can**_ and _**will**_ control yourself. _

She smiled at JJ when the blonde stopped in front of the door to their room and looked at her. _Professional, Prentiss. Be a goddamn professional,_ she lectured herself as she followed JJ into the room.

Routine dictated she leave her bag beside the small closet just inside the door, before she walked more fully into the room. She froze mid-step as her keen profiler's eyes took in the room's furnishings. Not that it took any sort of profiling skill to see the immediate problem with their accommodations.

"Fuck."

There was only one bed.


	13. Chapter 13

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**CHAPTER  
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**13**

JJ spotted the error as soon as she entered the room. "Goddamn," she muttered under her breath. When the manager had told her that there were three rooms left, she had specifically asked if each of those rooms was a double and he had assured her they were.

This was not a double.

"I… uhm…" JJ stuttered as she ran a frustrated hand through her slightly messy hair. "It was supposed to have two beds, Em. I'm sorry. And the hotel is booked solid, I got the last three rooms available."

Emily drew a deep, calming breath and forced herself to smile – albeit a little tightly – at the obviously flustered blonde. "It's okay, Jen. Really. We can behave ourselves, right?"

JJ licked her lips and gave Emily a small, barely perceptible nod. "Define 'behave'?" she asked with a wry smile.

Emily felt herself smiling at the absolutely adorable expression on JJ's face and chuckled softly under her breath as she crossed the space separating them until she was able to gather JJ in her arms. "How about…" she murmured, pressing her lips to the deliciously tempting curve where JJ's neck and shoulder met, "first base?"

JJ groaned even as she relaxed into Emily. "First?" she asked, the single word falling from her lips on a ragged, disbelieving breath.

Emily smiled and brushed her lips up the column of JJ's throat to kiss her chastely. "Mmm," she affirmed softly. "If we were to go much further than that, I doubt I would be able to stop myself," she whispered as she nuzzled JJ's cheek with her nose. "And that would not be professional."

"I hate being professional," JJ muttered petulantly.

Emily smiled. "I know. But we are. And I really do want to take you out on a date before I make love to you."

JJ sighed and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against the unblemished half of Emily's. "You know you don't have to be concerned with protecting my virtue," she replied, half seriously, half teasingly.

Emily chuckled. "Well, a girl can always hope…" she let her voice trail off as she watched JJ smile. "I want to do this right, Jennifer," she murmured as she tightened her hold on the blonde's hips.

_I'd really rather you just do _me_ right, _JJ thought as she took a slow, deep breath to try and calm her libido. "Emily," the brunette's name spilled from her lips on a sigh sounding both pleading and resigned.

Emily reached up to cradle JJ's face in her palm. She felt her heart take flight in her chest as she watched JJ's eyes flutter closed as she turned her face into the caress, rubbing her cheek against her hand before turning even more to press a slow, sensual kiss to her palm. "Can I kiss you?" Emily husked roughly.

JJ, eyes still closed, licked her lips and nodded, a slow, easy smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she tilted her head invitingly toward Emily, her lips parted slightly in expectation. An expectation that was met with the lightest touch of lips as the brunette's fit around hers perfectly in a soft, reverent kiss. She moaned softly into the kiss as she felt Emily's left hand slide around her hip to pull her in closer. "Em," she whimpered between kisses.

"Mmm," Emily hummed as she released her hold on the blonde's jaw and moved to take the younger woman more fully into her arms. Her right hand settled between JJ's shoulder blades, drawing their upper bodies together. "Jennifer."

JJ lifted her chin and reclaimed the brunette's lips in another kiss that was again soft and reverent, as she stepped in closer still, reaching up to thread her fingers through dark silk, scratching lightly at Emily's scalp as she ran her tongue over the plump bottom lip captured between her own.

Emily was helpless to rebuff the intrusion and obligingly opened her mouth, letting her own tongue slip out between her lips to dance and mingle with JJ's in light, playful touches between their now parted mouths. Breaths came hot and shallow as they tasted each other and smoldering dark eyes stared longingly into stormy blue, and when their mouths came together again the kiss was neither soft nor reverent. It was deep, crushing, and undeniably hungry.

Emily felt her blood boil as JJ's lips parted under her own and she groaned as she felt the blonde's hungry tongue seeking entrance to her mouth, which she immediately granted. All altruistic notions of waiting, of courting, of wooing faded into the background as JJ's hands tangled themselves tighter in her hair, pulling her closer, forcing their mouths open wider until the kiss was simply one long fusion of lips as their tongues stroked, massaged, and dueled with each other.

_Fuck professionalism, _Emily thought as she gave herself over to Jennifer's touch. She returned JJ's passionate kisses fervently and as she felt JJ's hands tug lightly at her hair, sending a current of desire through her body, she accepted the fact that her plan of waiting to taste all of JJ, waiting to have her, to love her, was nothing more than a monumentally stupid idea.

JJ moaned into the kiss as Emily's fingers dug into her hip, pulling her closer until their bodies were fused together as tightly as their mouths. She gasped for air between kisses and was surprised when her back came into contact with the wall separating the bedroom from the bathroom. "Emily," she moaned as the brunette's body pressed into hers, each of their curves fitting together perfectly as Emily's thigh slid between her own. "Fuck yes," she whimpered as she rolled her hips forward to eagerly meet Emily's slow, rocking thrust.

Emily growled appreciatively as she felt JJ grind down onto her thigh and she ran her lips over the line of the blonde's jaw to nip and suck at her pulse point. "You are so beautiful," she murmured between hot, heavy kisses as she slid her hands up JJ's body to palm her breasts possessively through the smooth material of her blouse.

JJ felt her eyes roll back in her head as Emily thumbs began brushing back and forth over her nipples even as she began moving down her throat on a string of wet, hungry kisses. "Emily," she groaned as she turned her head to the side, offering the brunette more flesh to consume.

"Mmm," Emily hummed as she discovered a particularly sensitive spot on JJ's clavicle.

JJ gasped as her body responded to Emily's touch and she slid her hands down the brunette's body to dip her fingers under the hem of the older woman's shirt. She felt herself flood at the low moan that escaped Emily's lips as she began stroking and grabbing at her flushed, heated skin as she rocked herself against the thigh that was flexed against her. She tightened her hold on Emily's hips as she shifted ever so slightly to press her leg between Emily's, using that grip to pull the brunette forward until she was able to pull the brunette into a steady rhythm with her.

"So good," JJ murmured as Emily ground into her. "God, Em," she groaned. "Kiss me."

Emily whimpered and eagerly moved her mouth higher to reclaim JJ's lips in a deep, searing kiss. "Put your arms around my neck," she rasped as she lifted JJ's left leg up to her hip.

JJ moaned as did as Emily instructed. She giggled when she felt herself suddenly lifted into the air and she immediately wrapped her legs around the older woman's waist. They fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and their kisses grew slower, more purposeful as their hands roamed, exploring new terrain, memorizing curves and valleys.

Emily maneuvered herself between JJ's legs and rocked her hips forward as she abandoned the blonde's mouth to lay a line of heavy kisses over her jaw to her hear. "I want you Jennifer," she husked, rolling her hips forward for emphasis.

JJ licked her lips as the rough, needy timbre of the brunette's voice caused the vast majority of moisture in her body to relocate to a location further south. "So take me," she replied breathlessly.

Emily whimpered and pushed herself up to her knees, sliding her hands under the hem of JJ's shirt. She moved her hands upwards with a slow, teasing deliberateness that had the blonde writhing under her. She moved slowly higher, the hem of JJ's shirt collecting at her wrists, until her fingertips were just brushing the underside of JJ's breasts, and it was then that the sharp, piercing tone of the communications liaison's phone ringing shattered the lustful fog that had enveloped them.

"Shit," Emily murmured as she stopped what she was doing to rest her head upon JJ's shoulder. "Jennifer," she husked plaintively. "Please let it go."

JJ closed her eyes and groaned. Her body was alive, tingling with the electric current of promised ecstasy, and the last thing she wanted to do was stop what they were doing to answer the phone. But she, they, had a job to do and what they wanted really wasn't important at the moment. "You know I can't," JJ whispered as she wiggled out from under Emily to retrieve her phone that was on the dresser. "Jareau," she answered, wincing at the roughness she could hear in her voice.

_"JJ, it's Hotch. We have another body. Downstairs in ten, we're all going to the scene."_

"Emily?" she asked as she looked over at the brunette who was sitting up on the bed and looking at her with such absolute longing that she felt her heart skip a beat.

_"She can come too. We'll figure the rest out once we're on the road."_

"Yes, sir," JJ murmured into the already dead phone.

Across the room, Emily ran a hand through her hair. "Hotch?"

JJ licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah. Another body. He said for you to come too."

Emily nodded. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Emily waved a hand at the direction of the wall she had pinned JJ against and then back to the bed she was sitting on. "This. Earlier. Starting that, it was…"

JJ could see the doubt beginning to build in Emily's expressive brown eyes and knew that she needed to stop it before it could manifest into something more. "It was wonderful," she interrupted as she crossed back to where Emily was perched stiffly upon the foot of the bed. "It was," she repeated as she ran her finger over the brunette's lips.

Emily smiled shyly and nodded as she pushed herself up off the bed and onto her feet. "Thank you," she murmured as she pulled JJ into a firm embrace.

JJ looped her arms over Emily's shoulders and tucked her face into the crook of the older woman's neck as she relaxed into the older woman's arms. "We need to go," she whispered as she remained where she was, unwilling to leave the safety and warmth of Emily's arms.

Emily sighed and squeezed JJ gently. "I know," she replied as she relaxed her arms and released the younger woman. "Lord knows we don't want to be the last ones downstairs. Morgan would have a field day."

JJ licked her lips and nodded, knowing full well how much fun Morgan would have teasing them. "Right. Well," she drew a deep breath, "let's go get this over with."

Emily ran a soft hand over JJ's jaw, smiling almost sadly at the blonde before she accepted their fate with a barely audible sigh and went to go check her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She smirked as she looked herself over and reached into her toiletry kit for her hairbrush. "I look like I just…"

"Hmm?" JJ asked as she sidled in next to the brunette. A smirk tweaked her lips as she took in Emily's bedraggled appearance and she instinctively knew what the other woman had been about to say. _She looks like she's just been fucked,_ she thought, her eyes roaming over mussed hair, dark eyes black with need, flushed cheeks, and kiss swollen lips.

"Never mind," Emily chuckled as she ran her brush through her hair before reapplying her lipstick that had been effectively kissed off. She smiled as she watched JJ go through the same routine beside her and, once they were both presentable, she gathered their coats.

JJ gave the brunette a warm smile as she took her coat. She reached out and ran the pad of her index finger over Emily's lips, lingering for a moment on the soft flesh to feel the warmth of the brunette's breath cascading over her skin before she leaned in and claimed her lips in a promise of a kiss. "Soon," she whispered as she pulled away.

Emily licked her lips and nodded. "Soon," she repeated, tilting her head to the side as she ran the back of her hand over the line of JJ's jaw. She took a slow, deep breath to clear her head and offered JJ a small smile as she backed away. "You're sure Hotch said he was okay with me joining the team?" she asked as she opened the door to their room.

"That's what he said," JJ answered as she led the way into the hall. "Thanks."

"No problem," Emily replied as she pulled the door closed behind her, not trusting it to close tightly on its own. She followed JJ down the hall toward the elevators and placed a protective hand at the small of the younger woman's back as they waited.

JJ turned her head toward Emily and smiled. "I like this," she said cryptically as she rocked her body back into the older woman's touch.

"Like… what?" Emily asked as she began rubbing her thumb over the thin material of JJ's shirt.

JJ shrugged. "You touching me."

Emily groaned as ideas of the touching she _could_ have been doing flashed through her mind. "Jennifer."

"What?" JJ laughed. "I do like it."

"Me too," Emily replied softly as the elevator opened in front of them. She placed a protective hand over the doors as they entered and retreated to the back wall of the car as she watched JJ punch the button for the lobby.

Memories of their encounter only moments before flooded both of their minds as they rode down to the lobby in companionable silence. Emily again held the door for JJ, her chivalrous side now on full display, and she instantly spotted Morgan and Reid standing off to the side of the twin double doors at the front of the hotel.

"Hey guys," she greeted their teammates casually as she slipped into her parka. Out of the corner of her eye she watched JJ do the same, and she couldn't help the slow, easy smile that tweaked her lips as she watched the blonde flip her hair up out of the collar.

Morgan laughed. "Damn, Prentiss."

Emily snapped her attention away from JJ, who was now giving her a sly, knowing smile, and back to her partner. "What?"

"You're looking at her like she's a piece of meat and you haven't eaten in three years."

Emily blushed. "It hasn't been three years," she muttered.

JJ grinned, easily catching on to Morgan's innuendo. "Oh really? How long?"

"I'd assume she had some kind of meat with her dinner last night," Reid offered helpfully. "I'll be right back. I'm going to use the restroom before we head out," he informed the group before he took off for the public restrooms on the opposite side of the lobby.

Emily rolled her eyes and turned to her partner. "So, was everything copacetic with your room?"

"Sure." Morgan shrugged. "Except Reid's going to be sleeping in the bathtub."

"Why the hell is Reid going to be sleeping in the tub?" Emily asked.

"There's only one bed." Morgan smirked.

JJ frowned. "What? They messed up your reservation too?"

"Noooo," Morgan drawled, a sly smirk tweaking his lips as he processed what it was that JJ hadn't said. "I was just messing with you. But why is it that I'm thinking your room really does only have one bed?"

JJ blushed in what Emily thought was the most adorable way and looked at the brunette, her eyes clearly pleading for help. "Em?"

Emily laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she answered, matching his smirk with one of her own as she stepped closer to JJ and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Riiiight," Morgan chuckled. "Breaking regulations already, I like it."

"No regulations were broken," JJ assured him, her embarrassment easing as she settled into Emily and Morgan's teasing banter.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "Damn phone rang. Hotch totally cockblocked me," she added under her breath.

Morgan threw his head back and laughed loudly as he clapped his hands joyfully. "What until I tell Garcia – she'll be so stoked her evil plan worked!"

"Wait," Emily held a hand up.

"Yeah," JJ leveled her gaze on Morgan who shifted uncomfortably under her stare. "What do you mean, 'Garcia's evil plan'? Did she change the reservation?"

"I… I… uhm…" Morgan stuttered, his eyes widening as he realized exactly what he had said.

"Everybody here?" Hotch's voice rang out and the trio of agents turned to find their boss and Rossi approaching.

"Thank god," Morgan muttered.

Hotch surveyed the group. "Where's Reid?"

"Right here!" the young genius called out in a chipper voice as he strode quickly across the lobby toward their group.

"Right," Hotch nodded. "Well then, let's go."

The team nodded and fell into line behind the two older men. Emily leaned in close to Morgan as the group bottlenecked at the entry doors and whispered, "We are not done with this conversation, Morgan."

Morgan just turned and blew her a kiss. "Oh please, like you're really upset about the outcome," he teased as he threw his coat on and walked out into the night.

"Prentiss, JJ, you're with me. Rossi, Morgan, and Reid will take the other car," Hotch called out as they all crossed the darkened parking lot.


	14. Chapter 14

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**CHAPTER  
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**14**

Whereas not even thirty minutes ago JJ and Emily had been aware of little else outside their intimate bubble, now they were once again locked-in to the case. Both of them were a little surprised at how natural it was to shift from intimate to professional, but both were also more than a little relieved to find that they were able to turn one off one aspect of their lives in order to focus on the other.

Hotch was behind the wheel of their SUV which was following the team's other vehicle that was being piloted by Morgan since he knew the way out to the scene the best. JJ was riding shotgun, staring out the windshield into the blackness that surrounded them, and Emily was in the back seat, staring just as blankly out her window, as they paid close attention to the Unit Chief who was relaying what information he did have regarding the scene to the entire team via speaker phone. What worried all of them, beyond the fact that this victim was found in a much closer timeframe to the last one than the unsub's established pattern would suggest, meaning that his behavior was most definitely escalating, was that this body was dumped right under their noses. Somehow he had found a way past the patrol stationed near the secluded beach.

"What about Prentiss?" Morgan's voice crackled over the phone.

"What about Prentiss?" Emily challenged loudly.

"Em," JJ warned.

"Kids, knock it off," Rossi interjected.

"Yes, sir," Emily and Morgan grumbled.

Hotch looked up to glance at Emily in the rearview mirror as they bounced along the rough road. He didn't like the fact that he'd told her to come along, but the idea of wasting time, now that they were really racing against the clock, to either take her to the precinct or else double back to pick her up after they visited the scene, seemed unnecessary and possibly entirely foolhardy. He needed his team, all of them, to go over the information they had as soon as possible – and that left him with no choice but to let her ride out too.

He cleared his throat as he returned his attention to the road. "Technically she's already out in the field, so I'll leave it to her to decide whether or not she's up for the trek down to the body. She can either join the team or wait at the cars with the LEOs. Her choice."

"I'm going with you guys," Emily announced, quickly taking advantage of the opportunity afforded to her. She had already had it with sitting back and watching the team do their thing, she wanted to help.

"That's it then," Hotch stated, his tone final. "ETA three minutes. We hit the ground running."

Once the connection was lost JJ turned in her seat to level her serious blue eyes onto Emily. "You're sure?"

Emily smiled and winked. "I am. I'll be fine, Jayj."

JJ held Emily's gaze for a few moments longer, reading the unspoken assurances in Emily's dark eyes, before she licked her lips and nodded. "Okay," she murmured, almost to herself.

Hotch let a rare smile tweak his lips as he watched the two women interact. He knew from the tenor of JJ's voice when she'd answered his call earlier that he had interrupted them at a rather intimate moment, but he was pleased with the way they were handling themselves now. "She'll be fine, JJ," he murmured, glancing over at her quickly, effectively breaking up the tension that had built between the two women. "We'll all keep an eye on her."

JJ sighed and nodded. "I know."

Emily shook her head as she listened to Hotch and JJ talk about her as if she couldn't hear them and leaned forward to place a reassuring hand on JJ's shoulder. She gave the blonde's shoulder a quick squeeze for reassurance before she sat back in her seat and pulled her gloves out of her pocket. It wasn't a particularly cold night for Connecticut in late March, but she knew that the winds that incessantly flowed in off the ocean would make the thirty-four degree ambient temperature feel much, much colder.

JJ was already unbuckling her seat belt as they slowed to a stop and the moment the truck was in park she was already opening her door. She climbed out of the SUV and took a deep breath, allowing the rich, briny scent of the wet ocean air permeate every cell in her body. She smiled at Emily as the brunette motioned her forward. "Such a gentleman," she murmured teasingly as she passed close, a quiet laugh bubbling in her throat as she heard Emily chuckle.

"Jennifer," Emily warned as she kept a wary eye on their surroundings, alert for any threat that might lie concealed in the night. She might not be cleared for fieldwork yet, but there was no way she was going to let anybody or anything anywhere near JJ if she could help it.

They made their way down a narrow path cut into the bluff in a neat, single-file line and JJ smiled at the protective hand she could feel hovering just below her elbow, waiting to catch her should she slip and fall. Under normal circumstances she would have been offended but, as it was Emily's hand, she was simply touched. Somehow it just felt right for the brunette to protect her.

The team arranged themselves around the ring of light that flooded over the body which was nestled in the side of a sand bank a few hundred feet from the water, each of their eyes seeing something different, each of their brilliant minds drawing different conclusions. Emily, ever the protector, placed herself behind JJ, so that she blocked both the wind flowing in off the cold Atlantic waters and any unforeseen attack that might spring out of the dark. The group was quiet as they ran their eyes over the scene laid out before them noting the position of the body relative to the road, the condition of the body, the fact that her fingernails were painted but not her toes, each detail filed away in their impressive minds as they tried to piece together what they were seeing into something that might help them catch this unsub.

Damp sand was caked to her body, almost as if Mother Nature were trying to protect her dignity from prying eyes. She was naked, matching the earlier bodies, and seemed to fit their general age range. She was nearly flawless in her nakedness, her body unmarred by signs of outright torture, bullets, or knife wounds. She was bruised, she looked like she had put up a good fight – which they all silently congratulated her on – and her dark hair was damp, matted, and plastered across her forehead.

"She's wet. It didn't rain today and her body is well away from the tide. Did he hose her off before he dumped her here?" Reid wondered aloud.

"Be a good way to get rid of any trace evidence," Emily said as her eyes dissected the scene before her. "Would explain why there was nothing to be found on any of the other women."

"There is bruising evident on her throat," Hotch noted somberly.

"Consistent with manual strangulation," Rossi finished the other man's thought.

"She certainly looks like a match to the other victims," JJ murmured, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Anything we can use to find an ID?" Emily asked, turning to level her gaze on the Medical Examiner who was starting to bag the woman's hands to preserve any evidence that would be under her nails if she'd managed to scratch her attacker at any point during her ordeal.

The ME looked up and shook his head. "Nothing yet. No wallet, purse, cell – nothing that we could use to trace her. We'll run her prints as soon as we get her into the morgue, maybe she'll be somewhere in the system."

"Great," Emily groaned.

"Any estimate on a time of death?" Reid asked.

The ME nodded and looked down at his notes before quickly glancing at his watch. "Given the fact that I got her core body temperature at fifty-five degrees, the fact that she's still in full rigor, and the amount of livor mortis evident, I'd say it was sometime this morning."

Emily pulled back her coat sleeve enough to glance at her watch to see that it was barely past nine thirty. "Full rigor hits around twelve hours post mortem?"

The tech nodded. "Normally speaking, yes. But the cooler ambient temperature would slow the process down."

"So, anywhere between…" Reid thought aloud "…five and ten this morning?"

The ME nodded. "Sorry I can't be more precise."

"No, this is good," Hotch assured him. "We know the unsub killed this woman before we even arrived."

"But we had been contacted," JJ interjected.

"Maybe he knew we were coming up?" Morgan offered, looking around the group to see what they thought.

Hotch nodded thoughtfully to himself and shot a quick glance over his left shoulder at Rossi who met his gaze and gave the Unit Chief a quick nod of agreement. As usual, they were thinking the same thing. "Send the prints to our technical analyst when you have them," he told the ME, holding out a card that had Garcia's information on it.

The ME frowned, but gave a small shrug. "Sure thing. We good to move her now?"

"Yeah," Rossi answered as he gave the girl one final once-over before he turned to make his way back up the bluff to their cars.

"Thank you," JJ murmured to the ME as she watched the rest of her team disappear without giving the doctor or the techs, who materialized out of the darkness to help, a second glance. As usual, they were lost in their minds and had completely forgotten about the simple rules of etiquette that, when followed, made the locals more agreeable to their whims.

Emily, who was waiting for JJ to go before her, also gave the Medical Examiner a small smile of thanks before she fell into line behind JJ and followed the team up the hill to their cars. They dispersed themselves between their waiting SUVs and before long the matching black Yukons were en route to the precinct where they would reassemble to run through what new information they gathered from this latest victim.

+++/+++\+++

Emily ran a hand through her hair as she rocked back in her chair and looked at the board the team had assembled. They had been back at the precinct now for an hour or so, and so far they were still trying to get a handle on what they had and who their unsub might be. The pictures of each of the non-skeletonized victims were lined across the top of the space with little notes scribbled under each. They knew they had nine victims now, but the first three were too badly decomposed for them to be able to ID without dental records – and that would mean that they would need to have some idea of who the women were so that way they would know which records to compare to. So, for all intents and purposes, they had four vics they could work with.

And normally that was enough.

"This guy is too good getting rid of evidence," Emily muttered as she stared at the picture of their latest, still unidentified, victim.

"Has to be some kind of law enforcement officer," Morgan finished his partner's thought. "Crime scene tech, something."

Reid pursed his lips and tapped them with his index finger as he crunched and re-crunched the data presented to him. The geographical data just wasn't adding up like it normally did. His eyes danced from picture to picture and then to the map they'd tacked up onto the wall. "There's no pattern," he muttered.

"There is always a pattern," Emily argued. "We just haven't found it yet."

"The initial conditions are unknown," Reid countered.

Emily nodded. "We know the condition of the bodies and where they were found, start there and work it backwards," she offered.

JJ, Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi watched the two brains began bouncing ideas off of each other as if they were in a competition to complete a proof of some abstract mathematical problem. JJ looked at Emily who was now pacing in front of the board pointing and gesturing, and smiled at the brunette's sexy display of intelligence before she turned her attention to the rest of the group.

"When you spoke to Garcia on the way here, did she say if she found any data on the two knowns' cell phone records?" Morgan asked.

JJ shook her head. "Not yet. She said she had some other things she was going to look into," she explained as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to read the message that just came through. "She just got the prints on the latest Jane Doe from the ME."

"Good," Hotch murmured and Rossi, who was sitting next to him, nodded his agreement.

The team looked up as the door to the conference room swung open slowly to admit one of the local detectives. "Detective Swartley," JJ addressed the man. "Is there something we can help you with?"

The detective nodded. "Agent Jareau, there are a handful of reporters out in the lobby asking for details about the latest victim."

Emily cringed as she watched JJ's eyes flare.

"How did the media find out about it?" JJ asked, her voice eerily calm while her eyes flashed fire.

"Said they heard it on the scanner," he answered as he took a small step away from the communications liaison. He knew the look in her eyes, it was the same one his wife gave him before he would end up sleeping on the couch.

"JJ," Hotch interjected. "Just go give them the standard 'no new information at this time' spiel and then get back here."

"Yes, sir," JJ growled as she stomped out of the conference room.

"Wow," Swartley murmured, running a hand through his hair as he offered the rest of the BAU Agents a rueful smile. "I'm sorry."

"Just make sure the rest of your guys are aware of the operating procedure from now on," Hotch told him sternly.

"Yessir," Swartley nodded. "I'll make sure to let the Captain know A-SAP, sir."

Emily's phone rang as the detective was making his way out of the conference room and she gave Morgan a pointed look, which he read immediately and jumped up to close the door tightly. "Who is it?" he asked.

"PG, you're on speaker," Emily answered the phone.

_"Who do you love?"_ Garcia's typically happy voice carried out of the speaker.

"You know we love you, Baby Girl," Morgan replied playfully as he rounded the table to sit back down in his chair. "Whatcha got for us?"

_"Of course you do,"_ Garcia cooed. _"Okay, so I ran the latest set of prints through the system and got a hit."_

"That was fast," Emily said as she grabbed a pen so she could start adding to the board.

_"I started with local area records, instead of national since the last two victims were local. This particular Jane Doe's name is Abigail Hanson, age 32, English professor at Middlesex Community College."_

"How far…" Reid started to ask but was cut off by their quirky analyst.

_"Twenty six miles, Reid. Oooh,"_ Garcia drawled as they all heard her typing away. _"Princess, you're going to love this: she taught a seminar last semester on Vonnegut. Now, I am still tearing through the Craigslist database, which, by the way, I could have hacked into when I was five, but from what I can tell she has never used the site."_

"Never?" Emily asked.

_"That is correct, my brown-eyed girl,"_ Garcia answered, and the team could hear keys being tapped furiously in the background. _"But, she did just join an online dating service. Their system is surprisingly more secure than Craigslist, but if you give me some time I'll be able to get in and tell you who accessed her profile, made contact, etcetera."_

"What about the first Jane Doe from this morning?" Hotch asked.

_"Still nothing, sir,"_ Garcia answered, her frustration with her inability to find the information evident in her tone. _"The ME was able to get prints, but they're incomplete due to the…"_ her voice trailed off and they could all picture the grimace she was most likely wearing at the thought of the body.

"Fact that scavengers gnawed on some of her fingertips," Morgan offered helpfully.

_"Yes,"_ Garcia agreed, sounding more than a little repulsed by the idea. _"Well, anyways. That's all I have for now my furry friends, I'll hit you up when I have something new. Garcia out!"_

The team stared at the now silent phone for a moment before Hotch muttered, "I really need to remember to get a drug test on that girl."

Emily shot JJ a grin as she reentered the room and Morgan chuckled softly under his breath. There was something reassuring about Garcia's very Garcia-ness – a kind of reminder that though they dealt in death and destruction, there was still a reason to smile, to laugh, to embrace that which is wholesome and good. And they needed that reminder. Craved it, occasionally.

"What did I miss?" JJ asked as she scanned her friend's faces and closed the door behind herself.

"Garcia," Morgan offered, knowing that single word was explanation enough.

JJ grinned and nodded her understanding. "Sorry I missed it then. She find something?"

"An ID," Emily answered. "She's still looking for some sort of a connection though."

"How'd it go out there?" Hotch asked the communications liaison.

JJ shrugged. "Fine. I did confirm that there was another body found, because there was really no way to deny it, but I left the rest of the details with the usual 'this is a pending investigation' yada, yada, yada. They're all heading back to their hotels now, but I'm betting they'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good," Hotch replied as he watched Emily try and stifle a yawn. He glanced up at the clock on the wall above the door and sighed. "It's already nearing midnight and there really isn't anything more we can do tonight. Let's head back to the hotel, get some sleep, and we'll meet up in the lobby at seven to get back to this. Hopefully by then Garcia will have something more for us to work with."

+++/+++\+++

"So, how are you doing?" JJ asked as the elevator doors closed behind Hotch and Rossi's retreating backs and they were left alone for the first time since they'd been so suddenly been called from their room earlier.

Emily, who was leaning bodily against the back wall of the elevator, hands wrapped around the bar that ran around the cube at waist height, turned her head toward her companion and smiled. "I'm fine," she murmured. "Just tired. Long first day back, you know."

JJ nodded her understanding and smiled gently. "You know, you could have stayed back at Quantico with Garcia."

"Nah, there was no way I'd be able to function back there if you were up here with the team."

"Don't you trust my abilities as an Agent?" JJ asked, somewhat seriously, as she stepped off of the elevator which had just stopped at their floor.

"No, nothing like that," Emily answered quickly as she hurried to JJ's side. "I just… it would worry me, you being up here without me. I trust you, and your abilities; but I also know that I am protective enough of those I love to know that I would have had a very hard time being so far away from you when you were on a case."

JJ smiled at the words _those I love_, but didn't press. "Okay, then," she replied as she slipped their room key into the lock. "Just making sure."

Emily tried to smile but another jaw popping yawn beat it to the punch. "Sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be," JJ assured her as she unzipped her bag and pulled out the pair of faded navy blue soccer shorts and equally broken-in t-shirt she wore to sleep in. "You're tired. I'm tired. Let's just try and get some sleep."

Emily nodded and pulled her pajamas out of her own bag. "Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" she asked, motioning to the small loveseat tucked away in the corner of the room.

JJ frowned. "Why in the world would I want you to do that?" she asked as her eyes bounced from the small sofa and Emily.

Emily shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought…" her voice trailed off.

JJ smiled reassuringly and moved to take the older woman into her arms. "I want to fall asleep in your arms, Em. If that's okay with you," she added.

Emily smiled tiredly as she looped her arms loosely around the blonde. "That's definitely okay with me."

"Good," JJ grinned and leaned in to lay a quick, chaste kiss to Emily's lips before she released her so they could both get changed.

Minutes later they climbed into the bed, each of them letting out a soft sigh of contentment as their bodies relaxed into the surprisingly comfortable mattress. Emily stretched her left arm out across the pillows and JJ wasted no time sliding into the space, cuddling into Emily as she laid her head on the brunette's chest. Emily hummed softly, the sound distinctly content, as she reached across her body with her right arm to wrap it around JJ's waist and pull the blonde in closer.

"This is nice," Emily murmured as she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to JJ's forehead.

"It is," JJ agreed softly as she snuggled in closer, wrapping herself around Emily. "Sweet dreams, Em."

Emily smiled and buried her face in JJ's hair. "Sweet dreams Jennifer."


	15. Chapter 15

.

..

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**CHAPTER  
><strong>

**15**

JJ came awake slowly, an easy, contented smile lifting her lips as she pulled herself in closer to Emily. Eyes still closed, she snuggled into the brunette, delighting in the rhythmic beat of the older woman's heart beneath her ear. "Mmm," she hummed softly as she squeezed the warm skin under her hand.

Emily smiled to herself as she felt JJ waking up, already anticipating the blonde's reaction. _This is going to be priceless, _she couldn't help thinking as JJ's fingers dug into her breast once more. _Dear god that feels good,_ she groaned inwardly as her body reacted to the blonde's touch.

_Wait,_ JJ thought to herself, scrunching her eyes closed tighter in concentration as she gave the captured flesh under her hand another soft squeeze. _Skin? Mmm, so soft. Is that…?_ Awareness came a little bit faster as she opened her eyes to confirm her suspicions. Her hand had, indeed, worked its way under Emily's shirt as they'd slept. Which would have been fine, except for the particular body part that it had decided to wrap itself around.

"Hello," Emily chuckled as she placed her hand over JJ's, giving the blonde's hand a teasing squeeze through the material of her shirt. "Nice sleep?"

"Ohmygod," JJ groaned, an embarrassed blush setting her cheeks instantly aflame. "I'm so sorry," she apologized as she moved to withdraw her hand from underneath Emily's shirt.

Emily had expected the reaction JJ was giving her and she refused to let the blonde's hand go. "I like that there," she murmured, squeezing both of their hands over her breast indicatively. "Don't you?" she teased.

JJ groaned and nodded. "You're mean," she muttered. "Of course I do. How long have I been fondling you while I slept?"

Emily smiled and pressed a slow, soft kiss to the blonde's brow. "I dunno. I woke up a few minutes before you did," she shared as she released JJ's hand.

JJ smiled when she felt Emily release her hand but opted to leave it where it was. "What time is it?" she asked, squeezing the firm mound under her hand as she lifted her chin to press a soft kiss to the underside of Emily's jaw.

Emily groaned as her body instinctively arched into JJ's touch. She turned to glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand and groaned. "We have about an hour before we're supposed to meet up with the team."

"So not enough time for this then," JJ murmured, giving Emily's breast one last squeeze before releasing it and pulling her hand out from under the brunette's shirt. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Emily assured JJ gently as she rolled them over so that she was on top of her. "I'll just need a really, really good, good-morning kiss to make up for it," she teased.

JJ smiled, her blue eyes twinkling with joy as she looked up into Emily's playful gaze. "You think so, do you?"

Emily smiled as she dipped her head down to brush her lips ever so softly across JJ's. "I do," she breathed as she continued to brush her lips lightly back and forth over the blonde's.

JJ laughed and reached up to tangle her fingers in Emily's hair. "I think so too," she purred as she pulled the brunette down so that she could capture the older woman's lips in a deep, hungry, open-mouthed kiss.

+++/+++\+++

The team gathered around the board in the back room at the precinct as they each nursed a generous sized cup of coffee that Morgan had stopped to pick up from the little corner shop that Emily and JJ had visited the day before. The hour was early, they were all tired, but there was an underlying energy coursing through the room as each of them knew that, with the latest body, they were really on the clock now and that they desperately needed to come up with something that would help them catch this guy.

_"Okay my lovelies,"_ Garcia's voice carried out of the speakerphone. _"I kept my babies up all night and have some good news for you. So far as I can tell, Sampson has never been on and while Lane did in fact view Abigail Hanson's profile, he never contacted her. McGregor was the only one of the three who accessed and contacted Abigail Hanson via her dating profile."_

"So he's the only one with a tie to each of the last three victims," Emily muttered.

_"Exactomundo,"_ Garcia replied.

"Does he have a record?" Morgan asked.

_"Indeed he does, my hunk of burning love," _Penelope drawled. _"Took some digging because he lived in California at the time and their system is so messy and disorganized that it makes JJ's office look clean." _

"Hey," JJ interrupted. "My office is organized. It's an organized chaos. I know where everything is in there."

_"And we all believe you, don't we guys?" _Garcia teased._ "Anyways, he was picked up in oh-seven for assault, looks like it was a bar fight and the other guy ended up to not press charges. Another instance of dropped assault charges in oh-eight, an ex-girlfriend, Tammy Weaver, claimed he beat her."_

"He sounds like a real charmer," Emily muttered.

_"Exactly," _Garcia agreed.

"Do you have a current address for her?"

The team listened to the tapping of Garcia's keyboard. _"That's a negative, sir. From what I can tell, her parents reported her missing early last year, so far she hasn't turned up."_

The teams' eyes all dropped to the pile of photographs showing the skeletonized remains found on the beach.

"All right," Hotch addressed the group. "Thanks, Garcia. Let's go have a chat with Timothy McGregor. I want all hands on deck, so JJ – you're with us on this one. Emily, I'm going to have to leave you here."

Emily felt her heart drop to her stomach as she nodded her understanding. She had known that she wouldn't be going in the field during the case, especially when the team went to bring in a suspected unsub, but the idea of JJ going out to interview a potential suspect without her was terrifying. "Yes sir," she mumbled, her eyes focused on JJ.

Hotch didn't miss the fear that played across Emily's eyes as she looked at JJ but, with Emily having to stay behind, he really needed the blonde in the field on this. "I want everybody in vests," he informed the group. "Let's go."

Emily tensed as the team around her all nodded their understanding and she looked over at Morgan, who was the first to his feet, and gave the man a look that quiet clearly said, _'You bring her back to me'_, as he caught her eye. The small nod of understanding he gave her did little to ease the knot of worry in her gut, but it did make her feel a little bit better knowing that he would keep an eye on JJ for her. She watched as Reid and Rossi led the way out the door, quickly followed by Morgan.

"We'll be on channel one," Hotch said as he handed Emily an earpiece, which she took gratefully. "JJ-" he turned to the blonde "-we're leaving in two."

"Got it," JJ nodded and watched their stoic leader leave.

Emily pushed herself to her feet and reached out to grasp JJ's hand. "Be safe," she whispered.

"I will," JJ assured her.

Emily nodded. "I'm holding you to that, Jareau," she tried to joke, but it sounded flat even to her own ears.

JJ glanced over her shoulder through the window at the bustling precinct before she moved in closer to give the brunette a quick, reassuring kiss. "I'll be back soon," she whispered, squeezing Emily's hand reassuringly before she turned on her heel and headed out the door, her pony-tail bouncing with each step as she broke into a jog to catch up with the rest of the team.

Emily watched JJ go until she couldn't see her anymore, and only then did she close the door, blocking out the rest of the precinct. She dropped heavily into one of the chairs surrounding the table and looked back up at the board, letting her eyes roam over their thoughtfully scribbled notes. She knew from the information up there that the team was heading toward their unsub. She stared at the board, her eyes locked to the bruises around the latest women's necks, and offered up a silent prayer that McGregor would be subdued easily and that JJ would return to her unharmed.

+++/+++\+++

JJ dug her phone out of her pocket as they raced toward the freeway. She glanced over at Morgan who gave her a small, reassuring grin and a wink, before she turned her attention to the phone in her hand. She began to flip it slowly, front to back and back again, as she considered whether or not to make the call. Snippits of conversations from the last few days danced around her mind, combined with the look in Emily's eyes before she left, had her pulling up the contact she needed and hitting send.

_"Oracle of Quantico, speak and ye shall be heard."_

"Hey, Pen," JJ greeted her friend as she turned toward the window to block out the rest of the car's occupants. "Can you do me a favor?"

_"Of course, what do you need my blue-eyed girl?"_

JJ smiled and leaned forward to rest her forehead against the window. "I need you to make a call for me."

+++/+++\+++

Emily was pulled from her thoughts by the ringing of her cell phone. She reached blindly for the device which she'd tossed onto the table earlier and answered the call without bothering to look at the screen to see who it was.

"Prentiss."

_"So, tell me about this date you're planning for our girl," _Garcia stated without preamble. _"She is uber-excited, by the way, so you better deliver."_

Emily laughed. "Why are you calling me now to ask about this?"

_"Because Jayj asked me to keep you occupied while they ran out to McGregor's place,"_ Garcia answered honestly. _"So, spill. What's the evil plan?"_

"There's nothing evil about it, and I'm not telling you," Emily replied.

_"Ach, my wounded heart! Why not?"_

Emily smiled knowingly. "You'll tell her."

_"Will not."_

Emily rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Swear to me on your file of photoshopped pictures of Morgan."

There was a pause as Garcia considered Emily's terms. _"I… I… damn. Can't it be anything else?"_

"Nope. Take it or leave it, PG."

+++/+++\+++

Timothy McGregor's house was a small, two story farmhouse set about a quarter mile off the road. It was surrounded by lightly rolling hills that, for the moment, were still covered with snow. The house itself was small and worn. The white plank siding was in complete disrepair, faded to a dull, lifeless gray and chipped and peeling in more places than not. The shutters framing the windows across the front of the house were equally neglected; once upon a time they were most likely a rich forest green, but time, weather, and years of neglect had transformed them to a pale, mossy color.

The house had definitely seen better days.

JJ jumped out of the SUV the moment it came to a stop in Timothy McGregor's driveway and automatically reached down to check the placement of her gun on her hip as she rounded the front of the vehicle to join the rest of the guys. "What's the plan?" she asked as she watched the local officers spreading out behind them, waiting for instructions.

Hotch looked up at the house and studied it for a moment before replying, "Rossi and I will take the front door, try and talk him into coming down to the station with us peacefully for questioning. JJ, I want you, Morgan, and Reid to cover the back in case he decides to bolt. I'll instruct the LEOs to hang back and circle the property to wait for our call. I don't want too many itchy trigger fingers in there making it more dangerous than it needs to be."

JJ nodded her understanding as she watched Morgan immediately start for the garage, and glanced at the young genius. "Let's go Spence," she said, unsnapping and un-holstering her gun as she began to follow Morgan around the small, single-stall attached garage to the back door. She could hear Spence following somewhat clumsily and she hazarded a glance over her shoulder to check on the lanky Agent. "You all right?"

"Yeah." Reid nodded. "Just keep slipping on the ice."

"You want me to slow down?"

"I'm fine, just catch up to Morgan," Reid assured her as they rounded the back corner of the garage and the back of the house came into view.

JJ nodded and hurried into position near the back door. She glanced at Morgan who was on the opposite side of the opening, with Reid tucked safely behind him. "We're in position," she muttered into her mic.

+++/+++\+++

_"Oooooh!"_ Garcia squealed as Emily finished sharing her plan for her and JJ's big date.

_"We're in position," _JJ's voice filtered through the radio Emily was monitoring.

"Garcia," Emily whispered into her phone.

_"It'll be okay, peaches,"_ Garcia murmured as she, too, listened to her team's progress.

"Yeah." Emily nodded to herself as her stomach wound itself in knots once again.

+++/+++\+++

Hotch heard JJ's report and looked over his shoulder at Rossi. "Ready?" he asked, and was answered with a tight nod to the affirmative. "All right then," he muttered as he lifted his hand to deliver three powerful knocks to the front door.

The agents all waited tensely for their suspect to answer the door. Seconds ticked into minutes and, when there was still no answer, Hotch tried again – this time calling out, "Timothy McGregor, this is the FBI."

Rossi pursed his lips as he studied the door before ducking over to look inside the house through a window caked with dirt. "Nobody's in there."

+++/+++\+++

At the back of the house JJ was on guard, gun pointed at the door as she waited for a signal from Hotch. "What's taking so long?" she muttered under her breath.

"Did you hear that?" Reid asked, tilting his head to the side as he listened carefully.

JJ mimicked the other agent's posture and listened carefully. Nothing but silence greeted her and just as she was about to tell him that, she heard it. A muffled scream. She glanced at Morgan who nodded that he'd heard it too, and she immediately lifted her wrist to her mouth and reported, "Hotch, there's a woman screaming inside the house. It's faint, sounds like it might be coming from the cellar."

Hotch's answer was immediate. "Go."

She nodded and glanced back at Reid before reaching out to try the knob on the back door. Surprisingly, it turned easily under her hand. "We're in," she muttered into her mic as she pushed the door open carefully and stepped out of the way for Morgan to slide through, gun at the ready as he led the way inside.

The sound of a foot making contact with the front door echoed through the house, which seemed to shake on its foundation from the blow. She quickly cleared the kitchen, waving Reid off to the left toward what would most likely be the dining room as she headed for the hall. She shook her head at Morgan's questioning look and watched Rossi make his way quickly up the stairs to clear the second floor.

"It sounded like it was coming from underground," JJ shared softly as she started opening doors, looking for the one that would lead to the basement.

"Here we go," Morgan called out as the door he was trying refused to open. "It's locked," he shared as he looked over his shoulder at Hotch.

"Do it," the Unit chief ordered.

+++/+++\+++

Emily tensed at the sound of a door being kicked open. "I wish I was there," she muttered.

_"They can handle this,"_ Garcia murmured reassuringly as she stared at the screensaver on her monitor and wished she had a visual on what was happening.

+++/+++\+++

Morgan led the way down the stairs, JJ following closely behind. The moment his foot hit the ground he swept his gun and his eyes over the room. "Clear."

JJ placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder as she passed by him, pushing into the dank, wet smelling cellar as Hotch and Reid followed them down the steps. She cocked her head and listened, every cell in her body on high alert for any movement, any sound that might tell her where the woman she'd heard earlier was.

And then she heard it. A choked, desperate cry. A muffled scream – faint, but distinct.

"This way." She tilted her head as she led the group around a corner to find a door set in the wall at the far end of the unfinished basement. "There."

Morgan pushed past JJ and took the lead, closing the distance in a handful of long, powerful strides until he was able to wrap his hand around the knob. "It's locked," he growled as he took a step back and hefted his foot to kick in his second door of the day.

JJ stepped to the side to get an angle on the room beyond the door and nodded at Morgan. "Go." She tightened her grip on her gun, her finger resting comfortably on the trigger, riding that line where it would take just a fraction more pressure to actually fire the weapon, and steadied her gaze on the door as she watched Morgan deliver a solid kick just above the doorknob.

The flimsy door crashed inward on the first kick and she immediately saw a woman tied to a cot against the far wall. The woman was bruised and bloody, and her wide, terrified eyes were staring pleadingly at JJ. The woman tried to scream through the gag covering her mouth but, like before, it came out muffled and weak. How they had even heard her in the first place was an absolute miracle.

Morgan did a quick scan of the room as he regained his balance and, seeing nobody beyond the victim tied to the bed, took a few quick steps into the small, dirty space. He became so focused on the woman, that he didn't see Timothy McGregor slinking out from behind an old, decrepit bookcase on the wall to his left and stalking toward him with an old aluminum baseball bat.

But JJ did.

"FREEZE!" she shouted as she leveled her gun on the man.

+++/+++\+++

Emily's fingers dug into the armrest of her chair as she listened to JJ call out. She knew that tone of voice, she had heard it many times before – it was the blonde's _'don't fuck with me'_ tone, and she knew what that meant. "He's there," she whispered.

+++/+++\+++

Morgan whirled around at the sound of JJ's yell and immediately saw the suspect who had been trying to sneak up on him. "Put the bat down, McGregor," he ordered sternly as he, too, trained his sights on the man. "It's over."

McGregor shook his head and laughed. "No it's not."

"Drop the bat, Mr. McGregor, and put your hands on your head," JJ commanded.

McGregor's beady eyes turned to focus on JJ who was standing tall, aim unwavering as she held the man in her sights. "You're not going to shoot me, little girl," he drawled as he hefted the bat and took a challenging step toward her. "You know what I do to girls like you?" he taunted.

"Yeah." JJ nodded as she watched Morgan carefully. "But you're not going to get to me. Put the bat down, McGregor," she echoed the burly agent's earlier command.

"But I'm not done playing," he replied as he tightened his grip on the bat and tried to turn and hit Morgan with it.

Morgan saw the way McGregor re-gripped the bat and the way his hips shifted ever so slightly and knew what was coming so, as he turned toward him, he stepped into the man and caught the barrel of the bat with his left hand before it could even really begin to move. "I asked you-" he gave the bat in his hand a twist as he slipped his gun into its holster on his hip "-to put-" he ripped it out of the other man's hand, letting it fall to the floor with a tinny clatter "-this down," he continued speaking as he moved to take hold of one of the man's arms, wrenching it behind his back forcefully and using that grip to force him to the ground.

JJ watched Morgan whip his cuffs out and snap them onto McGregor's wrists as Hotch read him his rights, but paid them no mind as she turned her attention to the woman who was still bound and gagged on the dirty, rusting cot against the wall. She slipped her gun into its holster and quickly crossed the space toward her, smiling reassuringly at her as she slipped her arms out of her coat and laid it over the other woman's body.

"I'm Agent Jareau with the FBI, you're safe," she murmured soothingly as she reached out to gently remove the gag from the woman's mouth.


	16. Chapter 16

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**CHAPTER  
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**16**

Emily was pacing inside the briefing room the team had commandeered for the case as she waited for her friends, her family, to come back. JJ had called her not long after the team had helped the woman they'd rescued into an ambulance, so she knew the blonde was safe, but until she could see it with her own eyes the knot of worry and dread and fear and apprehension that had wound itself around her stomach refused to loosen.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she could hear familiar voices carrying down the hall. She fought the urge to jump up and run to see them and instead busied herself re-organizing the files, notes, and general paperwork that she had already cleaned up earlier; trying to look busy, trying to look as if she hadn't been nearly paralyzed with fear the entire time JJ had been away.

"Hey you," JJ called out as she stopped in the doorway to the briefing room and leaned against the frame.

Emily looked up and returned the blonde's smile with a relieved one of her own. "Hey. You're back."

"I am."

Emily nodded as she let her eyes roam JJ's lithe form, looking for any sign of injury. The knees of her black slacks were dusty, probably from kneeling on the floor of the cellar where they had found McGregor and his next victim, but otherwise she looked fine. More than fine, really. She looked as beautiful as ever.

"I'm glad," Emily murmured as she felt that crippling knot of worry in her gut finally begin to ease until, for the first time since the team had left her behind she felt like she could actually breathe.

JJ nodded knowingly. She understood exactly what Emily was feeling at the moment because she had felt it herself many times over the last year when she had been the one forced to stay behind and wait for Emily to come back. "Me too. Morgan is taking McGregor into the box, going to try and see if we can get him to cop to the first eight since it's all circumstantial at this point. Do you want to come watch?"

"Yeah." Emily set the files in her hands back down onto the table and headed for the door. She stopped beside JJ and ran a hand down the blonde's arm, feeling the younger woman's warmth, her strength.

JJ smiled and captured the brunette's hand once it reached her own and gave it a quick, gentle squeeze. "I'm fine, Em. Really."

Emily took a deep breath and held it in for a moment before letting it go slowly. "I know. Let's go watch Morgan work."

JJ nodded and led the way down the narrow hall that led to the holding and interrogation rooms, bypassing the first four chambers as she headed directly for the last door in the hall. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Emily before she turned the knob and pushed the door open to join Hotch and Reid who were standing with a couple of the local detectives watching Morgan and Rossi question their suspect.

"He say anything yet?" Emily asked as she followed JJ into the room and closed the door behind herself.

"Not yet," Hotch answered.

"You know…" Reid started as he looked from JJ to Emily, the look in his eyes shifting from speculative to apologetic as he voiced what he was thinking, "I think if we sent JJ in he'd probably give us something. The complete distaste he showed toward her in the basement was palpable, and his crimes show a distinct hatred toward women. I don't think he would take too kindly to having a woman confronting him."

Emily had to literally bite her tongue to keep from speaking up, to keep from voicing _her_ opinion that the idea of putting JJ in the box with that guy was beyond stupid. It was only because of her years of experience schooling her expression and hiding her emotions that she was able to not physically react to Reid's suggestion. Intellectually, the profiler in her knew it would be a smart move, but the protective part of her hated the idea of JJ getting any closer to the guy than she already had been.

JJ watched the walls snap into place in Emily's eyes and knew that the brunette didn't like Reid's idea at all, but she had to admit that he had a point. McGregor certainly seemed the type to react strongly to being confronted by a woman who held a position of authority over him, so she turned away from Emily to look at Hotch, hiking a brow questioningly, letting her posture and expression show that she believed Spence's assessment was correct.

Hotch nodded thoughtfully and knocked on the window, drawing the attention of the two agents in the box. He watched Morgan lean in closer to McGregor and mutter something that the microphones in the room couldn't pick up before he strode out of the box.

"What's up Hotch?" Morgan asked after he'd closed the door after himself.

Hotch glanced quickly at Emily before shifting his gaze to JJ and giving her a slight nod. "Morgan, I want you to go back in with JJ. See if between the two of you, you can get him riled up enough to say something we can use."

"JJ?" Morgan repeated as he looked from the determined blonde to his partner who was wearing a schooled expression and refusing to meet anybody's gaze.

"Yes." Hotch nodded.

"Let's go, Morgan," JJ muttered, looking over her shoulder at Emily one last time before she opened the door and strode purposefully into the small, gray room on the other side of the two-way mirror.

Emily edged closer to the window as the door closed behind Morgan and she watched intently as JJ settled herself into a chair opposite their chained suspect. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and held it there as she watched JJ lean back in her chair and begin a dialogue with McGregor.

Hotch shot Rossi a look behind Emily's back and the older man nodded his approval, his eyes telling his friend that he thought the plan was sound and also that he believed Emily and JJ were handling themselves just fine. The team would be fine, probably better than they were before, because of this connection.

"She'll be fine," Rossi murmured in Emily's ear. He understood and even embraced his role as a quasi-father-figure to the woman, and knew that, while she was putting on a strong front, her protective nature was most likely screaming at her to go into the box, grab JJ, and haul her ass out of there.

"I know," Emily replied evenly, emotionlessly.

"This is our best chance."

"I know," Emily answered, finally turning to look him in the eye. "I know. I don't like it, but I know."

"Good," Rossi said with a small nod before he moved to stand next to Hotch.

Emily watched him for a moment, noted the way the two older men leaned their heads together to share a quiet conversation, before she turned her attention to Reid. She gave him a small, tight smile, letting her eyes tell him that she understood why he said what he did and that she wasn't upset with him for suggesting it. She knew her message was received when he smiled in return and gave her a small nod, his shoulders relaxing as though a weight had been taken off of them.

+++/+++\+++

Four hours later the team found themselves climbing back into their matching SUVs and headed back to the hotel. Hotch had called ahead to the airstrip from the precinct and the pilot was already busy fueling the plane and making sure all the pre-flight requirements were met so that when the time arrived at the airport they would be ready to take off. Morgan snagged the keys to the second truck out of Hotch's hand and sent him off to ride with Rossi as he waved Reid over to the 'cool kids' car.

"You know you're like two seconds from a Unit Chief smack down every time you pull that shit, right?" JJ laughed as she climbed into the back seat next to Emily.

Morgan looked up into the rearview mirror at the smiling liaison and nodded. "Yup. But I'm just trying to hook my homie up with some lovin'."

Emily blushed as JJ erupted into laughter. "Oh my god, Morgan. Please tell me you did not just call Emily Prentiss your 'homie'," she said, making sure to use little air finger quotes for emphasis.

"My wingman?" Morgan offered with a laugh.

"What's a wingman?" Reid asked as he turned in his seat to look at Emily.

Silence descended on the car as the three other occupants stared, agape, at the young genius. "Really?" Emily asked.

Reid grinned. "No, not really. I know what a wingman is."

This, of course, got the group laughing again and Morgan shot Reid a wry, approving grin. "Well played, grasshopper. Well played."

Reid smiled, obviously pleased with himself, and turned back around to face the windshield. "Thank you," he said as he adjusted his sunglasses on his nose.

Emily looked over at JJ and smiled as she reached out across the seat to gently take the blonde's hand in her own. It was strange to be able to reach out and touch the younger woman like this, but at the same time there was just an overwhelming sense of _rightness_ about the whole thing as well.

The rest of the ride was spent joking and laughing and generally trying to shake any residual darkness that they might be feeling from the case, and before long they were back in the hotel parking lot. Morgan glanced over his shoulder at Emily as he killed the engine and couldn't contain the smile that creased his face as he saw the look his partner was giving the communications liaison. He knew how long she had been admiring the younger woman and was happy for her, them, now that the two of them had somehow managed to find their way to each other.

"Meet you back here in ten?" he asked as the group converged on the front doors of the hotel.

"Sure," Emily agreed as she held the door open for JJ. "Didn't really get the chance to unpack yesterday, so it shouldn't take too long to get everything together. Jayj, do you have to check us all out?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, but it'll be quick. I called ahead earlier to let them know that we'd be checking out today, I just need to grab the room receipts for accounting."

"Cool," Morgan said. "Well then, let's get to it."

Emily rolled her eyes as they all came to a stop in front of the elevators. She placed a hand at the small of the blonde's back and smiled at JJ's reflection in the polished brass doors as she began moving her hand in small, light circles. She ignored the knowing smirk Morgan threw her way, instead dutifully following JJ into the car to stand against the back wall.

Reid punched the buttons for each of their floors before stepping back to the side of the car. He glanced at his watch as he asked, "Do you think we'll debrief tonight or tomorrow?"

JJ shrugged. "Dunno. Depends on Hotch's mood. It's what, a forty minute flight?"

The young genius nodded. "About that, depending on the winds."

"So that'll put us back around five," Morgan calculated as the elevator stopped at the third floor. "Here's to wishful thinking," he smiled at the girls as he followed Reid out of the car.

"Yeah," Emily agreed, giving her partner a small wave. "We'll meet you guys downstairs," she told him as the doors began to slide shut. As soon as the doors closed completely, she reached out and pulled a very willing JJ into her arms.

"Mmm," JJ hummed as she gave herself over to the embrace, wrapping her own arms around the brunette's neck. "What brought this on, Agent Prentiss?"

Emily chuckled and pressed her lips to JJ's forehead. "I've just been wanting to do this since you guys got back from McGregor's," she murmured, closing her eyes and soaking in the scent of JJ's skin, the warmth of JJ in her arms.

JJ smiled and lifted her chin to kiss Emily quickly. "I must say, I've been kind of looking forward to this too," she shared in a hushed whisper, but all further thoughts on the matter were abandoned for the moment when the car _dinged_, announcing that it had arrived at their floor.

The two women separated somewhat regretfully and made their way down the hall toward their room. To an outsider watching them, they looked to be nothing more than two friends; only the most observant of gazes would have picked up the slightly protective slant to the brunette's posture or the distinct absence of personal space between them as their arms brushed against each other as their strides crossed. As soon as they were in their room JJ turned to Emily and pushed the brunette back into the wall as she kicked the door closed behind them.

Emily let out a soft grunt of surprise as her back came into contact with the wall, but the grunt quickly turned into a low moan of approval as JJ's lips covered her own in a deep, lingering kiss. She reached out and grabbed hold of JJ's hips to pull the blonde into her and smirked into their kiss as she heard JJ whimper at the contact. She slipped her hands under the hem of JJ's blouse and began grasping and massaging the blonde's sides as she opened her mouth wider and slanted her head to the side to deepen their kiss until it was unmistakably raw and hungry and full of need.

"My god," JJ gasped as her burning lungs forced her to pull away.

"Mmm," Emily hummed, her tongue sweeping over her lips seductively as she leveled her lust darkened eyes onto JJ. "Come out with me tonight?"

JJ's eyes dropped to Emily's kiss swollen lips as she nodded. "Yes," she answered, her voice low and rough with barely contained desire.

Emily smiled and ran her hands up and down JJ's sides, letting her thumbs brush ever so gently against the outside of the blonde's breasts. Her smile turned decidedly wolfish as she felt JJ tremble under her touch. "Good," she husked.

JJ licked her lips and lifted her eyes and felt a familiar pull low in her hips at the look she saw in Emily's gaze. The emotions, the promises swirling in the brunette's eyes left little room for any misunderstanding as to what she had in mind. "God, Em," JJ murmured as she pushed herself back into Emily and claimed the brunette's lips once more.

The chirping of Emily's phone finally pulled them apart and the taunting, _Did you get lost in JJ's eyes? We're waiiiiiiiting!_, text that Morgan had sent was enough motivation for them to put their desires aside long enough to quickly collect what few belongings they'd pulled and left out of their bags. Once they had finished gathering their things they headed down to the lobby, where Emily met up with the boys and accepted her partner's teasing while JJ finished checking them out, and before long they were back in the SUV on their way to the small airstrip where their plane was waiting to take them home.

+++/+++\+++

Emily followed JJ up the steps and into the team's private jet, turning left toward the cabin when the blonde turned right to speak to the pilots. It was a well choreographed dance and they did it without thinking, which was probably a good thing as neither of their heads were particularly focused on the present. Each of them were too wrapped up in their thoughts for the future – that evening, to be precise.

Emily saw that Reid and Morgan were already seated across from each other at the larger table grouping with a chess board set up between them and, while she would normally take great pleasure in watching Reid trounce her partner at chess, today she decided to avoid their bickering about Morgan taking too long or Reid cheating by dropping onto the couch and leaning back against the arm, resting her head against the bulkhead.

Morgan looked up from his game and studied Emily carefully. He would never admit it out loud, but he was glad they were heading home, he was worried about her. He knew how long a road it was to recover from serious concussions like the one she'd suffered only a week ago, and he was certain she was more tired than she was letting on. He watched JJ leave the cockpit and smiled as he observed the blonde's features softening as she appraised the brunette.

"Budge up," JJ ordered with a smile as she tapped Emily's leg.

"Hmm?" Emily opened her eyes. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," JJ replied as she took matters into her own hands and lifted the brunette's legs so she could sit on the couch as well. She set Emily's legs back down onto her lap as she settled into the seat and began absentmindedly running her right hand up and down the brunette's shins as she turned her upper body toward Emily, bracing her left elbow upon the back of the couch as she rested her head in her hand. "You okay?"

Emily smiled and nodded. "Just resting," she answered, hiking a brow suggestively.

JJ smiled and ran her hand up past Emily's knee to trace light circles on the older woman's jean covered thigh. "Big plans later?" she asked, a teasing smirk creasing her face.

Emily smiled and offered a playful shrug. "We'll see. We ready to go?"

JJ looked up at the sound of Hotch and Rossi's voices announcing the older men's arrival. Morgan's typically aggressive driving had gotten them to the airstrip with time to spare. "We are now."

Hotch paused for a moment as he entered the cabin proper and offered JJ and Emily a small nod before moving past the two women to sit down next to Morgan, giving them as much privacy as the small space allowed. Rossi followed, giving the two women a small smile as he passed before slapping a heavy hand on Morgan's shoulder and dropping heavily into the empty seat beside Reid to watch the two younger men who were now thoroughly entrenched in their game.

The flight to Quantico was quick and smooth, and when they landed Emily had to laugh at the way Morgan pulled out his phone to take a picture of the game board, not trusting Reid's memory to put the pieces in the correct places next time they played. Hotch looked over the faces of his team as they all climbed to their feet and, as he glanced at his watch to see that it was already a little after five, he decided to give the team a break.

"Debriefing tomorrow at eleven," Hotch called out and was rewarded with four thankful smiles. He knew they would have gone back to the BAU and debriefed tonight without question or complaint had he asked them to, but he also knew that they'd pulled long hours on this case and could all use the break to rest and decompress.

JJ smiled at Hotch's announcement and turned to Emily. "So, what would you like to do?"

Emily returned JJ's soft smile with one of her own and fought the urge to run a finger over the gentle slope of the blonde's jaw. "Dinner?"

"Take out?" JJ countered.

Emily licked her lips as she watched JJ's normally bright blue eyes darken. "Okay."


	17. Chapter 17

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**CHAPTER  
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**17**

JJ took her eyes off the road for the briefest of moments as she reached across the console separating her from Emily to set her hand high on the brunette's thigh. The interior of the car was filled with the rich, spicy scent of Thai food they had just picked up and she smirked as she began to inch her way incrementally higher and higher up Emily's thigh until she felt the other woman's hand cover her own.

"Jennifer," Emily warned, her voice low and rich and absolutely sinful.

JJ licked her lips and grinned. "What?"

"You need to focus on the road."

"Psht," JJ scoffed. "I'll have you know I am an amazing multi-tasker. I can drive _and_ do this," she retorted as she tried to move her hand again but Emily's grip held her still.

Emily laughed at the childish pout that creased JJ's face as her attempts were thwarted and looked out the windshield at the familiar landscape of the younger woman's neighborhood, more than a little thankful that they were practically at the blonde's house. She didn't know how much long she'd be able to resist JJ's advances.

Hell, she didn't know how much longer she _wanted_ to resist JJ's advances.

A soft sigh tumbled from her lips as JJ finally steered the car into her driveway, and she only released the younger woman's hand to collect the bags of food that were piled around her feet once they were safely parked in the blonde's garage.

A decidedly impish grin tweaked JJ's lips as she felt Emily release her hand and she wasted no time resuming her earlier quest, siding her fingers higher and higher until she finally reached what had been her original goal all along.

"Jayj!" Emily squeaked as she felt the blonde's fingers press against the center seam of her trousers.

"Hmm?" JJ arched a brow innocently as she continued to stroke lightly up and down the line of fabric.

Emily's eyes rolled back in her head when JJ's fingers brushed over her clit and when she was able to pry her lids open enough to actually look at the smirking blonde, she decided that she was done holding back. She was done waiting.

She reached out to run her hand over JJ's jaw, slowly, tenuously tracing over thinly concealed bone before hooking her index finger under the point of the blonde's chin and pulling her in for a deep, ravenous kiss that left no doubt about exactly what she was thinking. She smiled into the kiss as she heard JJ moan, taking that uncensored utterance as her cue to pull back, not far, not far away at all, just far enough to breathe against the blonde's parted lips, "You know what I love more than Thai food?"

JJ groaned at the seemingly tangential question and opened her eyes to look at Emily. "What?"

Emily grinned wolfishly. "Reheated Thai food."

"Em," JJ sighed, her eyes fluttering closed again at the smooth silken sex of the brunette's voice.

Emily chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to JJ's lips before she pulled completely away, blindly gathering the loops of the plastic take-out bags in her left hand while her right was already busy opening her car door. Somehow, though she wasn't sure how, exactly, they managed to get inside the house and even deposit the food on the kitchen counter before they came together almost violently in a desperate collision of lips as their bodies pressed together tightly. They stumbled upstairs together, their hands hastily removing clothes as they went, their lips never breaking contact with each other, until, by the time they'd reached JJ's bedroom, they were both wearing nothing but their panties.

Emily smiled into the kiss as she slid her hands up over JJ's sides to cup the blonde's face in her palms as she purposefully slowed their kisses until they were nothing more than light, quick pecks. "Let me make love to you," she implored softly as she dropped her hands to JJ's hips to play lightly with the waistband of her underwear.

JJ moaned as her body reacted almost violently to the brunette's request. "Please," she gasped as she felt Emily's fingers slip under the thin material of her panties, gently tugging the flimsy fabric down over her hips until gravity took hold of them and she was able to kick them carelessly aside.

"Jennifer," Emily breathed as she slid her hands over JJ's naked hips, grasping the younger woman's ass and pulling her closer.

JJ lifted her chin and claimed Emily's mouth in a slow, deep, lingering kiss as she pushed the brunette's panties down over her hips. A low, breathy sigh spilled from her lips as Emily took a small step forward, pressing their naked bodies together.

"You feel so good," JJ murmured as she ran her hands over Emily's body, obligingly allowing the older woman to guide backwards onto the bed.

Emily smiled as she watched JJ move back onto the bed, her eyes raking up and down the blonde's trim form for a moment, just drinking her beauty in before finally acquiescing to the unspoken request in JJ's eyes and climbing onto the bed herself. She covered JJ's body with her own as she eagerly reclaimed the blonde's lips in another long, lingering kiss, pushing her tongue deep into JJ's mouth to slowly stroke against and around the blonde's tongue.

JJ whimpered as she felt Emily pull away and she was helpless to contain the low, almost feral growl that rumbled in her throat when she felt the brunette's lips begin working down the column of her neck in a series of slow, wet, heavy kisses. Her body was alive, tingling with anticipation from the feeling of Emily's mouth upon her skin, the electric silken sensation of the brunette's smooth skin sliding against her own, with the knowledge that tonight, tonight she would finally have Emily as she had so often dreamed.

"Em," she groaned as she both felt and saw Emily pause to hover promisingly over her breasts. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the brunette's tongue peek out between bruised, kiss swollen lips to lightly trace the perimeter of her nipple, sending little currents of electricity thrumming through her body. "Shit," she groaned as she succumbed to sensation and let her eyes close, her back arching toward the ceiling as she gave herself and her body over to Emily.

Emily smiled as she watched JJ's eyes flutter closed, felt her own nipples tighten sympathetically as JJ cried out. She blew softly over the blonde's moistened nipple, watching it grow harder, delighting in the knowledge that she was the one eliciting such reactions before she leaned in to gather the tasty bud between her lips and suck against it gently. She took her time attending to JJ's breasts, more than content to suck, lick, kiss, and nip at the mounds – well and truly making love to them as she dreamed about doing for so long.

"You are gorgeous," she murmured as she balanced her weight on her elbows so she could cradle both of JJ's beautiful breasts in her hands, rolling them, squeezing them gently. "Exquisite."

JJ loved the attention Emily was showing her, but she needed more. Needed the brunette to move further down her body to where she was literally aching for her. "Emily," she whispered pleadingly, arching her hips up into the brunette's stomach, letting the older woman feel how ready she was for her touch. "Please."

Emily's eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of JJ's arousal coating her skin. "Jennifer," she murmured.

JJ's breath hitched at the timbre of the brunette's voice and she untangled one of her hands from the sheets it had wound itself in to slide her fingers through Emily's hair and press gently against the top of the brunette's head. "Please?" she repeated herself softly, again rocking her hips up into her lover, letting her voice and her eyes show the absolute depth of her need.

Emily licked her lips and nodded, laying one last kiss to the hollow between JJ's breasts before she began making her way down the younger woman's lithe, toned body with a string of licks, nips, and kisses, making sure to worship, to taste, every inch of skin she could reach. The further south she traveled, the stronger the smell of JJ's desire became and she found herself unable and unwilling to resist its call. She settled herself easily between open, welcoming thighs, and slid her hands under JJ's legs to trace up and down the blonde's sides as she rubbed her cheek against a toned thigh.

"Jennifer," Emily sighed as she leaned closer, letting her eyes fall shut in supplication as she breathed in deep the intoxicating aroma of the younger woman's desire.

"Emily, please," JJ groaned, rocking her hips upward and tightening her hold on Emily's hair, trying to draw the brunette's lips to where she so desperately needed her.

Emily opened her eyes and met JJ's gaze as she leaned in closer, slowly, incrementally closer until she was able to deliver the most intimate of kisses. She ran the tip of her tongue lightly through JJ's folds, collecting the blonde's essence on her tongue, tasting its sweetness, its tartness. It was familiar and different, and entirely, wholly Jennifer. It was like coming home.

JJ writhed under Emily's mouth as the brunette's tongue moved through her before brushing ever so softly over her clit. Electricity shot through her and she cried out, her hips rocking upwards for more contact as her hand left Emily's hair to re-tangle itself in the sheets. "Em!"

"You are so beautiful," Emily whispered reverently before she leaned in to lay another slow, light lick through JJ's lower lips.

"Em," JJ husked in response to the brunette's breathy, solemn words. "Baby," she moaned as she felt Emily's tongue, so firm and yet so soft running through her.

Emily smiled at the endearment and settled in to thoroughly make love to JJ with her lips, her tongue. She was meticulous in her ministrations, cataloguing every touch and the reaction it elicited from the younger woman until she was able to play JJ's body like a finely tuned instrument.

JJ's cries of pleasure were a symphony more beautiful, more engaging, more exquisite than the most heralded works of Chopin, Vivaldi, Beethoven, or Mozart. Emily had attended concerts put on by the most widely heralded symphonies of the world, and she knew she had never heard anything as beautiful as the sounds spilling from JJ's lips while she was trapped in the throes of passion.

JJ bucked and writhed as her hips fell into a rhythm with Emily's mouth. Her hands gripped tighter at the sheets as Emily's began moving over her flushed, heated body. Her cries grew louder as Emily's fingertips dragged down her sides to grip her hips firmly, and she was helpless to contain the scream that was torn from her throat when the brunette's tongue finally thrust deep inside her. "Emily… god, yes… please, baby… please…," she panted as the heat in her belly spread outward, down her legs and up through her torso until she felt like she was literally throbbing with her building climax.

Emily could read the need in her lover's body and knew that no matter how much she would like to spend the rest of the evening taking her time enjoying her new playground, that JJ needed to be released. She tightened her grip on JJ's hips, lifting the blonde to her mouth as she thrust her tongue as deep as she could inside her once, twice, three more times before abandoning her opening to begin tracing firm figure-eights against the blonde's straining, pulsing clit.

"Mmm," JJ groaned as Emily's tongue began working determinedly against her clit at the exact tempo, with just the precise amount of force that she needed for the electric energy coiled within her to explode.

Emily felt JJ's body twitching under her mouth, under her fingertips, and knew that the blonde was so, so close. She wrapped her lips around JJ's clit and sucked against the sensitive nub as she began lashing it lightly with her tongue.

JJ was whimpering, pleading, and moaning incoherently as Emily worked her higher and higher until, with a final long, hard suck against her clit, the power, the energy coiled within her was unleashed on a scream as her orgasm ripped through her.

Emily moved so that she was able to use her fingers to rub light circles against JJ's clit, encouraging, drawing out the blonde's release for as long as possible as she moved up the body she had desired for so long to gaze lovingly into stormy blue eyes as JJ rode out her climax.

"Em," JJ gasped when she'd recovered enough to speak.

Emily smiled and kissed JJ's lips lightly. "Jennifer," she murmured, smiling warmly at her lover as she slipped the two fingers she'd been using to circle the blonde's clit down to press lightly against her opening.

JJ groaned at the taste of herself on Emily's lips and the feeling, the promise of the older woman's touch against her. She licked her lips as she stared into Emily's dark, nearly black eyes. "Em," she gasped as she felt the brunette's fingers push into her, her hips automatically rocking to meet the thrust as her hands shot up to grasp Emily's shoulders.

Emily smiled and leaned in to kiss JJ softly as she began a slow, thrusting tempo that played perfectly with JJ's already sensitized body. "Hmm?" she murmured, her eye twinkling with amusement as she watched JJ respond to her.

"Ooooh," JJ moaned as Emily's fingertips rubbed over that spot deep inside her that always made her see stars. Her eyes snapped shut and her grip on the brunette's shoulders tightened as her breath hitched in her chest. Her nipples grew painfully tighter as Emily set a steady tempo against her, in and out, curling, rubbing her perfectly until lights and stars began flashing in a kaleidoscope of colors behind her tightly closed eyes. She had barely begun to recapture her breath from her last orgasm and, yet, here she was, once again gasping for air as she rushed headlong into a second one.

"Look at me, Jennifer," Emily murmured as she felt JJ's body beginning to tense again. She wanted to watch, wanted to see that flash of ecstasy in JJ's beautiful blue eyes as she came.

"Christ, Em," JJ grunted as she forced her eyes to open. She immediately found Emily's smoldering, loving gaze and held onto it as their movements against each other grew slightly faster, slightly more demanding, until she felt herself slipping over the edge again.

Emily stared into JJ's desire darkened eyes and smiled encouragingly as she watched them cloud with the blonde's building climax. "That's it Jennifer," she murmured as she leaned in to press a quick, chaste kiss to the blonde's parted lips. "God you're beautiful," she breathed, her voice awed as she watched JJ's features soften.

"Emily," JJ moaned as she held Emily's gaze. Even if she had wanted to close her eyes, she would have been unable to tear herself away from the look of absolute love that Emily was giving her. She wanted to say the words, those three little words, but before they could form on her tongue the orgasm that had been building within her broke and she was lost to the waves of pleasurable ecstasy that were rolling through her.

Emily watched, entranced, as JJ rode out her second orgasm and couldn't help but think that she had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She stalled her thrusts as the blonde's spasms eased, pulling out only when she felt JJ's body relax around her fingers. She leaned in to kiss JJ softly as she cleaned her fingers off on the sheet beneath them, before lifting her hand to lovingly trace the delicate lines of the younger woman's face as she let herself drink in the sight of her sated lover. JJ's hair was spread in a disheveled array over the bed, her normally honey-toned skin flushed and sweaty, her lips parted as she gasped for air, and she felt a staggering wave of affection for the younger woman roll through her. She had known she loved JJ long before tonight, but now she knew that she would never be able to love anyone else.

She smiled warmly as JJ's unfocused eyes became more and more focused until she knew that the blonde was actually seeing her. "Hi," she murmured teasingly as she leaned in to nuzzle JJ's cheek with her nose.

"Hi," JJ husked, her mind still hazy, her body still tingling with the aftereffects of her orgasms.

Emily's smile softened as she dipped her head down to claim the blonde's lips in a slow, languid kiss. "I love you, Jennifer," she murmured, surprising herself as the words spilled so easily over her lips. "I just… I just had to tell you."

JJ's answering smile was radiant as she moved to cradle the suddenly bashful brunette's face in her hands. "I love you too, Em," she murmured as she lifted her lips to kiss Emily sweetly.

Emily moaned into the kiss as she felt JJ push against her shoulder. She obliged the blonde and rolled smoothly onto her back, pulling the younger woman with her so that JJ's lithe form was pressed deliciously into her own. She opened her mouth under JJ's, inviting the blonde in the play as their tongues stroking against each other slowly in an unhurried display of affection.

"You… are… amazing," JJ husked as she trailed her lips over Emily's chin and began laying a line of slow, lingering kisses down the column of the brunette's throat as she let her hands begin to wander over the front of her lover's torso.

Emily whimpered and bucked as JJ's hand slid over her stomach in slow, teasing, random patterns. "Please, Jennifer," she murmured as she again rolled her hips up into her lover. She was already so painfully aroused from having made love to Jennifer that she was certain it would take only the slightest touch to set her off and, while she wanted it to last, she knew that this time she wasn't going to be able to.

JJ smiled against the hollow of Emily's throat as she slipped her hand over the brunette's hip to dip teasingly between her legs. She extended her tongue to lay a slow, heavy lick against the skin she'd been teasing as she trailed an equally slow, exploratory finger through Emily's folds. "Jesus, Em," she husked as she felt how wet the brunette was.

"Jennifer," Emily groaned as she felt JJ's finger abandon the very place she needed contact the most. "Baby."

"Shh," JJ shushed as she lifted her finger coated with Emily's arousal to paint the brunette's nipple with the wetness.

Emily moaned gutturally at the sight, the feeling of JJ's finger making slow, wet circles around her nipple.

JJ smiled at her handiwork before moving lower to lay a light, exploratory lick across the moist bud. "Mmm," she moaned appreciatively at the taste and eagerly took the tip between her lips to lick and suck against hungrily.

Emily writhed on the bed, her body on fire as JJ's extremely, extremely talented mouth played at her breast and she was helpless to contain the scream that tore from her throat when she felt the blonde's hand slip between her legs once again. She rolled her right leg out to the side, offering more of herself to the younger woman, silently pleading for her to take her now. She was so wet, so ready, so goddamn ready for JJ's touch.

JJ could tell that Emily was already close, so close and that, while she wanted to play, to draw things out, to truly explore her lover's body, she knew that first she needed to give Emily her release. She dipped her fingers lower to push lightly against the brunette's opening and moaned as she felt Emily's hips rock against her hand, seeking more contact, trying to draw her inside. She laid one last broad, flat lick across Emily's straining nipple before she ran her lips up Emily's body until she was hovering above the brunette, staring into lust darkened eyes.

"I love you," JJ breathed as she finally, finally pushed inside warm, welcoming heat and began stroking her lover slowly. "Mmm," she hummed encouragingly as she watched Emily's eyes flutter shut.

"Jen," Emily moaned as she felt JJ's fingers plunging into her and she reached up to pull the blonde down to her level so she could claim her lips in a deep, hungry, soul scorching kiss that had her seeing stars.

The kiss had JJ seeing stars too, and she became almost desperate to make Emily come, to see Emily come. She pulled back just far enough to really be able to see Emily as she brought her to the edge. Her eyes danced over the brunette's swollen, parted lips as she increased the force and tempo of her thrusts, and she smiled as she watched the way Emily's head rolled back into the pillows as she fought to drag more air into her body. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

Emily's hands scrabbled across the sheets as she felt JJ's fingers curl deep inside her, stroking, massaging that hidden spot that sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through her body. Her right hand found its way up to the pillow under her head and she dug her fingers into it as her left finally found purchase in the wrinkled sheets beneath her back. She cried out wordlessly as she felt her body racing toward release with every perfectly aimed thrust of JJ's fingers and when she finally hit that edge and flew over it into the abyss screaming Jennifer's name, she tightened her hold on the bedding, hoping her grip on the fabric would be enough to help her find her way back to earth.

JJ stayed buried deep inside Emily until the last of the brunette's spasms eased, taking the time to decadently lick her fingers clean as she watched Emily begin to come down from her high. Once clean, she pulled Emily to her and began pressing soft kisses to the gasping brunette's brow, cheeks, eyelids, and lips as she waited for her lover to come back to her. She smiled as she watched the haze of orgasm leave Emily's eyes and leaned in closer to lay a longer, sweeter kiss to the brunette's lips.

"Wow," Emily husked.

JJ chuckled as she moved to press a soft kiss to the hollow beneath Emily's ear. "I love you," she whispered against the sensitive skin.

"Mmm," Emily hummed as she wrapped her arms around JJ, pulling her in closer. "I love you."

JJ smiled and rolled more fully on top of Emily, slipping her hips between the brunette's legs to nestle comfortably atop her lover. "You know," she murmured as she brushed her lips over Emily's, "making love with you is so much better than I'd imagined it'd be."

Emily blushed and tried to look away but JJ slid a hand under her chin to hold her still. "Likewise, I assure you," Emily replied, her bashfulness causing her to slip into her more formal syntax.

JJ grinned and leaned down to lay a wet, playful smack-a-roo type kiss to Emily's lips. "You know what, though?"

"Hmm?" Emily enquired as she busied herself with running her hands up and down JJ's back, her eyes focused on the blonde's lips.

"For as amazing as it was to feel you coming around my fingers," JJ husked, "I want to taste you. I want to make love to you with my lips, my… tongue."

Emily groaned, her body responding to the blonde's words by arching up into her. "Jen."

"Mmm," JJ hummed with a smile before she began laying feather soft kisses over the ridge of Emily's jaw. "You are so beautiful, Em," she murmured as she slid down the brunette's body.

Emily was helpless to do more than watch as JJ slid slowly down her body pressing soft, almost reverent kisses to her already flushed and sweaty skin and when the blonde settled herself between her parted thighs she said a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity had granted her this angel, and when JJ's tongue touched her so intimately for the first time she screamed her ecstasy to the ceiling and immediately lost awareness of anything and everything beyond the feeling of JJ mouth against her, and the sensations that touch created.


	18. Chapter 18

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**CHAPTER  
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**18**

The next morning Emily was roused from sleep by the golden light of the morning sun streaming through the windows. She came aware slowly, her mind sluggish from too few hours of sleep, her body deliciously sore from the activities that had rendered sleep unimportant. She basked in the memories of their lovemaking as she lay in bed with her eyes closed, blocking out the unwanted return of day. She tightened her hold on the woman whose head was lying on her chest, whose leg was draped over her own, and whose arm was thrown possessively across her stomach. It was perfect and right and just as natural as their loving the night before had been.

She drew a deep breath in through her nose and smiled at the feeling of her companion burrowing herself deeper into her arms with a quiet, unintelligible murmur. She felt her heart stumble in her chest as she gazed down upon her sleeping lover, so young and beautiful and unguarded, and pressed a slow, soft kiss to her brow, delighting in the feeling of JJ's naked body draped over her own. "I love you so much," she whispered, her words no louder than a breath, as she began running her fingers lightly up and down the blonde's back, bumping over the knobs of her spine and tracing along the outline of her scapulas.

Another soft, indistinct murmur was her only response as she glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. They had a little less than two hours until they were supposed to be back at the BAU for debriefing. She smiled as she once again ran her fingertips down JJ's spine, this time dipping under the sheet that was bunched at the younger woman's waist to trace the soft curve of a perfectly sculpted cheek and down, slowly down over a defined hamstring to come to a stop at the bend of the blonde's knee before making a return trip over the exact same path.

JJ came awake to the feeling of Emily's fingers tracing light lines up and down her ass and her leg that, she realized with a smirk, she'd thrown over the older woman while they'd slept. She smiled at the unusual yet entirely welcome sensation, and turned her head ever so slightly to press a soft, slow, lingering kiss to the skin under her cheek. She smirked as she extended her tongue to lay a light lick to her lover's skin and moaned appreciatively at the taste of salt and sweat and sex and something that was undeniably, purely Emily.

Emily groaned at the feeling of JJ's tongue against her skin and, as her fingers were mid-circuit on the blonde's ass anyways, squeezed the muscle under her hand playfully. "Good morning, beautiful," she greeted her lover as she released her grip on JJ's cheek to slide her hand down, over the line where the blonde's leg and ass met to dip her index finger between intimate lips.

JJ's hips bucked reflexively into the touch and she let out a low moan as she felt that questing finger begin to move through her. "Good morning yourself," she husked, lifting her head off of Emily's chest and claiming her lips in a slow, sweet good-morning kiss.

Emily moaned loudly into the kiss, lifting her head off her pillow to push against JJ, urging the younger woman over onto her back as she rolled on top of her. She nipped playfully at JJ's lip as their legs scissored together, her hip settling snugly against the blonde's center. She pushed herself into her lover, a devilish grin creasing her face at the feeling of JJ's desire coating her thigh, as she pulled back and grinned. "Hi."

JJ shook her head and laughed, rolling her eyes at Emily's antics. "Hello," she said, purposefully letting her voice drop low and deep as she took advantage of her position and ran her hands up the brunette's sides to cradle her breasts in her hands. She watched, entranced, at the way Emily's eyes fluttered closed as she brushed her thumbs over her nipples and felt her own nipples tighten sympathetically at the low, throaty moan the touch elicited from her lover.

Emily's hips surged forward from the electric current that shot through her body as JJ's hands manipulated her breasts. She opened her eyes to find JJ studying her intently, her lover's bright blue eyes growing steadily darker as her arousal grew. "I love you," Emily whispered, her voice awed and reverent as she dipped her head down to kiss JJ softly.

"Mmm," JJ hummed into the kiss, sliding her left hand down to Emily's hip to pull the brunette in tighter as she lifted her own thigh to press firmly against her lover.

Emily groaned at the feeling of JJ's leg against her, at the feeling of how wet the younger woman already was for her, and she began a slow, rhythmic thrusting tempo against the blonde as she slanted her head to the side to deepen their kiss. She pushed into JJ and held her position as she felt the blonde's mouth open under her own and when their tongues met between their parted lips, lightly flicking, stroking, tasting each other she began rocking her hips once more, this time matching her tempo to their kiss.

Hips rocked together in a synchronized rhythm, their movement slowing, growing harder, more demanding, as their kisses grew deeper, hotter, more intense. They gave themselves over to the simple intimacy of their connection, content to bask in the love of their kiss, the silent declarations of the other's touch. Hands roamed freely in a languid exploration of skin, stormy blue eyes staring deep into smoldering brown as with each touch, each kiss, each deliberate rock of hips they pushed themselves closer, slowly, steadily closer to bliss, to heaven, to euphoria. Soft sighs spilled from parted lips to mingle together in the finite space between them, brown eyes still locked lovingly onto blue as they fell over the edge together, hips stalling and hands grasping tighter as wave after gentle, loving wave of release rolled through them.

Warm, awestruck smiles were exchanged as they trembled in each other's arms. No words were spoken; none were required to convey the emotion, the undeniable weight of the moment. The look in each of their eyes, the reverence in every one of their touches, conveyed better than words ever could how much each of them felt, how deep their connection ran. Bodies shifted atop wrinkled sheets until they were each lying on their sides, mirror images of each other with an arm tucked under their head while their other hand touched, stroked, caressed as they shared soft, adoring kisses.

"I love you Jennifer," Emily husked, her voice low, quiet, almost as if she felt that by speaking in a voice louder than a hushed whisper the mood, their connection would be shattered.

JJ smiled and ran her fingers up the brunette's side, over a defined shoulder and across the regal expanse of the brunette's neck so that she was able to cradle the older woman's jaw in her hand as she leaned in to capture her lips in a slow, easy, adoring kiss. "As I love you," she whispered as she pulled away, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness. Habit had her glance over her companion at the clock on the bedside table and she groaned softly as she realized they had a little more than ninety minutes left to them before they needed to be back at the BAU.

"Getting late?" Emily guessed.

"Mmm," JJ nodded regretfully. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Emily asked, a soft smile lifting her lips as her hand slid over the younger woman's hip and pulled her in tighter.

JJ groaned at the feeling of Emily's fingers pressing into her ass as the brunette tightened her grip. "Em," she husked.

Emily chuckled and claimed JJ's lips in a deep, hungry kiss. "Share a shower with me?"

JJ licked her lips and nodded. "Race you there," she said with a playful giggle as she rolled out of her lover's arms and strutted across her bedroom toward the bathroom.

Emily grinned lasciviously as she watched the exaggerated sway the blonde was putting into her step and, when JJ stopped in the doorway to the bath and gave her a 'come hither' look along with a beckoning finger, she found herself stumbling clumsily out of the bed in her rush to catch up to her lover. A playful growl and a delighted giggle of laughter were cut off by the slamming of the door, and it was much later, when the mirrors were caked in what seemed like an inch of steam, that the two women managed to find their way out of the shower to begin getting ready for the day.

+++/+++\+++

Emily leaned back against the counter in JJ's kitchen as she waited for the coffee to finish percolating. Two well-used travel mugs sat beside the appliance, ready and waiting to be filled. She looked up as the sound of JJ's heels clicking against the floor became louder and smiled as she watched the winsome blonde enter the small space. Her eyes trailed up JJ's legs, and her smile became decidedly wolfish as she took in the younger woman's attire. There were so many things she loved about skirts…

JJ blushed from the heat of Emily's stare and looked down at herself speculatively. "What? I didn't grab a black skirt and a navy blazer or something, did I?"

"You're as beautiful as ever, Agent Jareau," Emily assured her.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" JJ challenged, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Like what?" A devious smirk accompanied the question as Emily pushed herself off of the counter and stalked slowly across the kitchen.

"Like you're analyzing my wardrobe."

The brunette's smirk grew as she arched a perfectly sculpted brow and nodded. "I _am_ analyzing your wardrobe."

"So, again, I ask – why?"

Emily reached out to run her hands over JJ's hips, softly, slowly, teasingly up and down before latching on and drawing the blonde forcefully into her. "Maybe I'm trying to best decide how to get you out of these clothes later," she husked as she leaned in and claimed JJ's lips in a kiss that was deep and slow and full of longing, leaving no doubt in the younger woman's mind as to what she was envisioning doing once said clothes were removed.

"Ooooooh," JJ moaned breathily as Emily pulled away. "We should probably get going then, so that we… can…," her voice trailed off and she shook her head, trying to clear it of the thoughts and ideas about what, exactly, the brunette's kiss promised. "Ahem, yeah. Later?"

Emily grinned. "Absolutely."

"Good." JJ nodded jerkily. "Good."

Emily laughed and leaned in to lay a softer, sweeter kiss to JJ's lips, licking them playfully as she pulled away. "Go gather your things, Jen. I'll fill the mugs for us."

JJ nodded and leaned in to steal one last, lingering kiss, before turning on her heel and heading toward the foyer where the majority of their things were already gathered.

Emily took a moment to appreciate the view JJ presented as she left a room, the delicate curve of her calves from the heels she was wearing, the trim, ridiculously professional lines of her pencil skirt that hugged thighs toned from running to the delicious curves of the younger woman's behind.

"Stop looking at my ass, Prentiss," JJ called over her shoulder.

Emily laughed and nodded. "Busted," she muttered to herself, unable and unwilling to keep herself from grinning as she turned back to the coffee pot to fill their travel mugs for the ride in to work.

Emily met JJ at the door and smiled as the younger woman thanked her with a kiss that was more than likely meant to be short and sweet but ended up to be yet another lingering connection of lips that left both women feeling lightheaded and wanting more. She seriously considered, for the briefest of moments, just saying _'fuck it'_ to work and taking JJ back upstairs to bed, but she restrained herself with the thought that what they had wasn't a one-night deal, and that she would have plenty of time to indulge herself later. "Jen," she breathed.

JJ managed to hide the slow rolling frisson of desire that trickled down her spine as she watched Emily's eyes darken. "Later, Em," she murmured as she opened the door to the garage, knowing full well that if they did not get out of the house soon they wouldn't be leaving at all.

"Later," Emily echoed as she followed JJ out into the garage.

+++/+++\+++

Emily busied her hands with the dials on the radio as JJ drove and sat back with a victorious laugh when she found the station she was searching for.

"Who's this?" JJ asked, glancing quickly at the display to see a station she didn't recognize.

"Kari, Grant, and Tory," Emily shared. "Best morning show I've found. These three are hilarious."

JJ shot the brunette a speculative look. "I figured you for more of a news in the morning kind of girl."

"I was, until a friend put me onto these three," Emily agreed as the commercial break came to an end and the morning show hosts came back on the air.

_"So, here's a story for you," _the female host, Kari, started. _"Some guy down in Louisiana was out in the Bayou, hunting alligators or something equally stupid, and decided he needed to pee."_

"Oh god," Emily chuckled. She was familiar enough with the show's formatting to know that whatever was going to come next was going to be good.

_"What happened?"_ one of the male co-hosts asked.

_"Well,"_ Kari drawled, _"so, there he was, taking a wiz, and an alligator pops up out of the water and bites him. Ends up taking the guy's, ahem, manhood with him and just swimming away."_

_"OOOOOOOOOH!"_ the two male hosts cried, and JJ and Emily laughed, easily picturing the two men sitting in their studio now holding themselves protectively.

_"Does this genius have a name?"_ one of the men asked.

_"Wait, yeah, there was a name…um, right, here it is," _she announced over the sound of rustling pages,_ "William LaMontagne, Junior."_

Emily's eyebrows practically shot off her forehead in surprise when she heard the name. She reached over to turn down the volume of the radio as she turned her full attention to JJ. "Jen, wasn't that the name of the detective who was trying to hit on you last time we were down there?"

"Who?"

Emily waved at the radio, which was now nothing more than a quiet hiss in the background. "Will LaMontagne?"

JJ shrugged dismissively as she glanced over at Emily. "I dunno, was it?"

"I think it was. Annoying little prick, horrible accent, looked kind of like a troll."

JJ laughed. "Oh, that's right. Now I remember."

"Really?"

JJ smirked. "No."

"I think that was him."

"Will… Will…" JJ murmured as she tried to picture the detective in question. "Oh, yeah! Now I remember. He did have a terrible accent. I'm surprised you remember him though."

Emily blushed and looked out the window.

"Em," JJ teased. "How come you remember some generic, completely forgettable, hick-detective who tried to hit on me?"

"He tried to hit on you!"

JJ just laughed and shook her head. "Baby."

Emily crossed her arms over her chest and refused to meet the laughing blonde's gaze.

"Aw, sweetie," JJ murmured, reaching across the console to place a comforting hand on Emily's thigh. She was actually rather touched by the brunette's little jealous streak. "There is nothing to be jealous about. _You_ are the only person I'm interested in. You are the only person I've been interested in for quite a while."

Emily turned to look at JJ and gave the blonde a small smile as she reached down and set her hand atop her lover's. "Sorry."

"Don't be," JJ told her gently. "I think it's sweet."

+++/+++\+++

JJ glanced at her watch as the elevator slowly climbed to the sixth floor. Even with their early-morning activities they'd managed to make it to the BAU with plenty of time to spare for their eleven o'clock debriefing. "You ready for this?" she asked with a smile as she turned to her lover.

"Mmm," Emily hummed, punctuating the unintelligible answer with a shrug as she turned toward the blonde.

JJ chuckled and reached out to run her hand down Emily's arm. "On the bright side, Pen will most likely come after me."

"That's true," Emily agreed, taking the younger woman's hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "But, I'll have to deal with both Morgan and Reid. So that's almost worse, really."

"How?"

Emily grimaced. "I can handle the jokes, but you _know_ Morgan will see fit to explain everything to Reid so I'll be suffering through it twice."

"Good thing I'm worth it then, huh?" JJ teased, rocking her weight onto her left foot so she could bump Emily's shoulder with her own.

Emily nodded. "More than worth it," she replied, both her tone and her gaze growing serious.

JJ felt her heart stumble in her chest at the pure honesty in the brunette's tone and felt an achingly familiar heat begin to build again low in her hips. "Mmm, stop that," she warned.

Emily bumped JJ back and grinned. "Stop what?"

"You know what," JJ retorted, giving the brunette's hand one last squeeze before releasing it. "I love you, you know."

Emily closed her eyes as she fought to keep from leaning over and kissing the blonde tenderly. "I love you too, Jen."

JJ took a deep breath and smiled tightly as the car stopped at the BAU's floor. "Let's do it then," she declared as she stepped brusquely out of the elevator and crossed the small lobby to the glass doors leading to the bullpen of the FBI's most respected profiling unit.

Emily hurried to keep up and just barely got to the door before the determined blonde. "Agent Jareau," she smirked as she pulled the door open for the younger woman.

JJ winked. "Agent Prentiss. Conference room in twenty. See you then."

Emily could only stare as JJ cut across the back of the bullpen to the stairs that led to the walkway above the floor and her office. "Wow," she muttered under her breath as she, too, entered the BAU and made her way quickly over to her desk.

"PRENTISS!" Morgan's booming voice greeted her.

Emily dropped her bag onto the floor beside her desk and turned to face her smirking partner. "Morgan."

The muscled agent leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head as he studied his partner. "How you feeling this morning?"

"Fine."

"Tired?"

"Not at all," Emily lied. She actually was feeling a little tired, but who wouldn't after only getting a handful of hours of sleep? "Why?"

Morgan pursed his lips and shrugged. "Nothin'. You just looked like you were walking a little gingerly there."

Emily considered his jibe carefully before dismissing it. "You're so full of shit, Morgan."

Morgan laughed. "Maybe, but that is quite a hickey you got there, Princess."

Emily's hand reflexively snapped up to cover her neck before she remembered that _she_ actually didn't have any marks – that showed, anyways. "You ass."

Morgan grinned. "Scale of one to ten?"

"Sorry pal, I already told you that I'm giving you nothing."

"I guess I can handle that, wouldn't want JJ to get jealous." Morgan waggled his brows.

Emily laughed and picked a pen up off her blotter to throw at him. "Shut up."

+++/+++\+++

JJ did not even have to look from the file she was reading to know who the person responsible for her office door being thrown unceremoniously open was. "Hey Pen," she greeted her friend.

"Peaches!" Garcia cooed. "WOW! Talk about a hickey! Is our dear Agent Prentiss part vampire or something?"

That comment was enough to get JJ to look at her friend properly. "What?"

Garcia just grinned and pointed.

JJ looked down and sighed as she tugged her shirt back up over her collarbone. "I'll have to remember to not lean over like this around the rest of the team today, I guess," she muttered, leaning back in her chair and eyeing her friend speculatively. "Did you need something?"

"Well, yeah," Garcia replied in her classic _'duh'_ tone of voice as she closed JJ's door and lowered herself into one of the chairs facing the Communications Liaison's desk. "Details!"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Like… what, exactly? And this is not me saying that I'll tell you anything, either, by the way."

"Oh please, you know you want to gush," Garcia drawled, crossing her legs as she leaned back in the chair and leveled a playful smirk at her friend. "Tell me!"

JJ just grinned and winked at the quirky technical analyst.

Garcia clapped her hands happily as she leaned forward in her chair. "So you two did have SEX!" she screeched.

"Shhh!" JJ hissed. "Geez, you want everyone on the floor hearing you?"

"And it was good?" Penelope continued her interrogation as if JJ hadn't even spoken.

JJ blushed and looked down at her desk for a moment before looking back up at her friend and nodding. "Amazing."

"Where?"

"My house," JJ answered. "In bed… mostly. And that's all the details you're going to get. I have to be in the conference room in ten minutes for the debriefing."

"I'll let you escape me for now, my little blushing love-bug, but you and your delectable Agent Prentiss are coming out tonight for drinks."

JJ hiked a brow. "We are?"

Garcia nodded as she pushed herself to her feet so she was towering above the still sitting blonde. "The Oracle has spoken. I'll discuss details with my hunk of burning love and get back to you later on the time and the place, my blue-eyed girl."


	19. Chapter 19

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**CHAPTER  
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**19**

The team let out a small, collective sigh of relief once the debriefing on the Fenbrook case was finished and Hotch had informed them that he'd met with Strauss earlier that morning and that the team was being given the next day, Friday, off as well as being taken off of rotation for the weekend. Either their two big cases solved in two weeks had somehow managed to break through the Dragon Lady's distaste for their Unit Chief, or else the order had come down from above her head. They were all willing to bet it was the latter, but nobody was complaining.

"So, after you finish up your reports on this case and the consults on your desks, turn them in to me and you are free to leave. Enjoy the extended weekend, you've earned it," Hotch finished up his announcement and, with a short nod at the team, left the room with Rossi only a few steps behind.

"Oh, I will most certainly enjoy the break," Morgan announced as he leaned back in his chair to stretch.

"Big plans?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. I'll be playing with water and electricity." He grinned. "New place I just bought needs some electrical work to be brought up to code and the bathrooms need some new copper pipes. Fun stuff."

"Sounds like a blast," Emily replied drolly.

"We all relax different ways, Prentiss," Morgan retorted, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Emily smirked and arched a brow suggestively. "I like my way better."

JJ blushed and busied herself with the mess of files spread across the table to avoid the curious glances that she could feel pointed her way.

Morgan watched JJ blush and decided to take pity on the Communications Liaison, for now. "But, before we get to the harassment and teasing that _that_ comment basically demands, my Baby Girl said we're all going out for drinks tonight."

Emily, who'd been watching JJ and entertaining less than professional thoughts about the different ways she'd like to go about 'relaxing' with the blonde, snapped her head around to focus on her partner. "What?"

"Drinks," Morgan replied, grinning at the look of horror on Emily's face. "All of us. Garcia said she'd already talked to JJ and that you guys are in."

Emily turned to focus her attention on JJ, who had stopped fiddling with the paperwork she had been using as a shield and was now standing with her hands on her hips, looking up at the ceiling as if she were waiting for a bolt of lightning to strike her down. "We are?"

JJ dropped her gaze to Emily's and sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she nodded, her eyes saying quite clearly that she wasn't given much of a choice in the matter. She watched Emily's shoulders drop ever so slightly in defeat as the brunette muttered, "I guess we are."

Morgan chuckled and clapped her on the shoulder as he stood. "Right. Well, need to get this paperwork finished," he said as he pushed his chair in. "You coming, Doctor Reid?"

"Yeah," Reid replied as he stood and pushed in his chair.

"Prentiss?"

Emily nodded, waving a hand at him to just go. "I'll be down in a minute."

JJ remained standing at the head of the table as Morgan and Reid filed out the door until it was just her and Emily left in the conference room. "I'm sorry. Pen came into my office earlier and, well, you know how she is."

Emily nodded. "I'm not mad, Jen. I just had a little bit different idea in mind for what we'd be doing later…"

JJ groaned and ran a hand through her hair as she nodded. "I know. Me too," she confessed softly. "But, look at it this way: the faster we finish up the paperwork, the sooner we can get out of here."

"Which means the sooner we get finished with drinks with the team," Emily continued as she pushed herself up from her chair and closed the distance separating her and JJ. "Which means," she murmured, reaching out to cradle the blonde's face in her palm, "the sooner we can get naked."

JJ's eyes fluttered closed and she nodded jerkily. "Exactly," she replied more than a little breathlessly.

Emily smiled. "Then I better get to work," she whispered, brushing the pad of her thumb over JJ's cheek.

"Mmm-hmm," JJ hummed as she turned her face into the brunette's palm and kissed it slowly. "Go, before we give Penelope one hell of a show," she husked.

Emily smiled and turned to look up at the camera, winking devilishly at the lens. "I wouldn't mind," she teased as she turned back to JJ and brushed the pad of her thumb over the blonde's lips.

JJ whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from reaching out for Emily as what little professionalism she had left began to crumble. "Please, Em."

Emily licked her lips and nodded as she released her lover and stepped back. "Later, Jennifer," she promised as she began to take slow, even steps backwards toward the door. She smiled as she watched JJ take a deep breath and let it out slowly as she opened her eyes. She gave her lover one last smile, one that was playful and wolfish and full of implicit promises before she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

+++/+++\+++

"So, here's the deal my lovelies," Garcia announced as she held court in the middle of the bullpen. "Dinner and drinks at Shenanigans."

"The new place in town?" Morgan asked, spinning around in his chair to face the technical analyst.

Garcia nodded, a bright, happy smile lining her face. "That would be the one. It's a one-stop-shop for all things fun – halfway decent bar food, plenty of alcohol, pool tables, dancing. It's perfect."

"Perfect," Emily muttered, still more than a little upset about the plans she had for spending the evening with JJ being delayed, and winced as the file folder Garcia was holding smacked her in the back of the head. "What was that for?" she demanded as her right hand instinctively reached up to rub the spot that Garcia had just smacked.

"Just because I wanted to," Penelope replied airily.

"Still recovering from a concussion here," Emily grumbled. "Think you can lay off the Gibbs smack until I'm better?"

Garcia turned her full attention to the petulant profiler and grinned. "My dear, sweet Agent Prentiss," she began in a sickly-sweet voice that practically oozed trouble. "If you are well enough to show our JJ an 'amazing'-" she emphasized the word with little air finger quotes "-time at night – which I am still waiting for more details of, by the way, so don't think you're in the clear yet – you're more than healthy enough for a gentle tap from yours truly."

Emily blushed as Morgan started laughing maniacally and looked down at her desk. "So, Shenanigans?"

Garcia practically beamed in her victory. "Yes. Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted-" she glared playfully at Emily "-it's a quarter 'til five now – how much longer until you all are finished with your paperwork?"

"I'm done," Reid announced.

"Me too," Emily and Morgan echoed.

"Brilliant," Garcia squealed, clapping her hands and doing a little happy dance. "Then I shall go check in on our blue-eyed girl and see about getting this show on the road."

"I'll do it," Emily offered, eagerly jumping out of her chair and taking off for JJ's office without a backwards glance. She smiled as she neared the communication liaison's door and knocked lightly on the frame as she entered. "So, last night was 'amazing, huh?" she teased as she stepped into the small space and closed the door after herself.

JJ looked up from the file she'd been reading, a light blush tinting her cheeks. "It was," she confirmed in a low, sexy voice. "But you knew that. So I'm guessing the little air quotes mean that you've been harassed by Garcia?"

Emily smiled and nodded, tapping her index finger to her nose and then pointing it at the blonde. "The entire bullpen knows now, by the way," she shared as she gracefully lowered herself into one of the chairs facing the Communication Liaison's typically messy desk.

"Sorry?" JJ offered, a small smile tweaking her lips as she drank in the sight of her lover reclined so elegantly in the chair across from her.

"You'll just have to make it up to me later," Emily teased. "Anyways, the guys and I are all finished with our paperwork and Garcia wants to know if you're ready to go as well."

"Mmm," JJ replied as her gaze flicked back down to the open paperwork before her. "Yeah. Just, give me a minute to finish with this."

Emily nodded understandingly. "Bad one?"

"Looks like it has the potential to be. But right now it's going to have to go onto the wait-and-see pile," she replied as she tore a post-it note off the pad beside her phone and stuck it onto the file.

"Where?"

"Hmm?" JJ hummed as she scribbled a note onto the yellow square. "Oh, Spokane, Washington."

"What?"

"So far? Two girls from the university there have gone missing. The local detective working the case believes they're connected, but until he can come up with a little bit more – there isn't enough evidence for us to go out there yet."

"Oh."

"Yeah," JJ nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked up at her lover. "But, if another goes missing…" her voice trailed off indicatively.

"Yeah," Emily sighed, running a tired hand over her face, wishing that the depravity could just stop – if only for a little while. "Well, since there's nothing we can do for them yet, you ready to go? Dinner, drinks, socializing?"

"Sounds like fun." JJ smirked as she got to her feet.

"Not as fun as what I had in mind," Emily replied as she mirrored the blonde's actions and also stood.

"What did you have in mind?" JJ teased as she picked up her purse.

Emily smiled and held JJ's gaze captive, her eyes twinkling with mischief, but her response was interrupted by an impatient knock on the door as it was thrown open to admit Garcia, who was wearing a playfully disappointed frown. "Damn, I thought I'd catch you doing something good," she chuckled.

"If you'd have waited two minutes you might have," Emily retorted as she turned away from JJ to retrieve the younger woman's go-bag out of the corner.

"Bummer," Garcia ho-hummed playfully. "Well, then, since the show is over – let's rock and roll, my beauties!"

+++/+++\+++

Emily held the front door to the bar open for JJ and smiled as the blonde gave her a little wink as she walked inside, both of them pausing for a moment as the door closed behind them to take in the feel of the new place. The bar was surprisingly well lit and the music was loud, but not so loud that you couldn't hold a conversation. A large bar stretched across a good portion of the building, the perimeter was lined with large booths, and the space between was filled with little tables that would provide easy seating for smaller groups. A handful of widescreen LCD TVs were hung around the space, each showing the Capitals game that was currently in-progress. In the center of the large, rectangular space, there was a bustling dance floor, and beyond that looked to be a decent cluster of pool tables.

"No darts," Emily observed, giving JJ a playful bump with her hip.

"Mmm," JJ purred, smiling as she slid an arm around the brunette's waist. "But we can dance. Look, there they are." She pointed at Garcia, Morgan, and Reid who had gathered around one of the larger tables along the outer edge of the restaurant.

"I thought you two might have decided to ditch us," Morgan called out as the two women approached.

"Ran JJ's car back to her place so that way we only had one car," Emily said as she slid gracefully into the booth.

"Oooooh, one car," Morgan teased.

"Shut-up," JJ laughed as she looked around the table. "So, menus? I'm starving."

Morgan handed the blonde his. "Here ya go."

"Wow, it's big," JJ murmured as she hefted the leather bound book.

Morgan chuckled. "That's what she said."

"Oh my god," Emily groaned. "You did **_not_** just make a _'that's what she said' _joke at JJ."

"Who's _'she'_?" Reid piped up, causing his teammates to stop their childish bickering to look at him. "What?"

Emily laughed and smirked at Morgan. "You started it – you explain it."

Reid, for his part, looked even more confused as he watched the normally unflappable Derek Morgan search for words. "Guys?"

"It's a joke, Spence," JJ tried to explain.

Reid frowned. "I don't get it."

"Okay," Morgan said as he sat up straighter in his seat. "Look, this is how it works. Not that I know why I'm explaining this to you, but whatever. Whenever somebody says something could be construed as sexual, you respond with _'that's what she said'_."

Reid considered what the other man had said, but it still wasn't making sense to him. "But JJ just said that the menu was big," he said. "How is that sexual?"

Morgan looked at JJ and Emily for help, but Garcia jumped in. "Reid, honey, just…" her voice trailed off as she tried to figure out _how _to explain to him that while JJ was in fact referring to the menu, Morgan had turned it into a reference to male anatomy without embarrassing everybody.

Emily laughed as she leaned across the table to steal the young man's menu. "Look, Boy Wonder, it's like this, while JJ was referring to the menu, Morgan pervertedly twisted it into a reference to his…"

"Manhood," JJ piped up helpfully.

"Oh," Reid murmured as he pondered the explanation that he was given. They all knew the moment he really understood what they were saying because his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Oh."

"There ya go buddy," Morgan chuckled. "Anyways-" he turned his attention to Emily and JJ, who had turned _their_ attention to the menus "-so what are you two going to do with our newfound freedom this weekend?"

Garcia bounced happily in her seat. "Emily's taking Jayj on a date, which I know allllllll about."

"Remember what you promised," Emily warned.

"Yeah, yeah," Garcia grumbled. "But I can't tell. You're no fun."

"Now, I know for a fact that isn't true," JJ defended Emily's honor without bothering to look up from the menu she was perusing. "Oooh, okay, I know what I want," she announced as she snapped the menu shut.

"Perfect timing," Morgan drawled as their waitress approached with the spinach artichoke dip and the bruschetta that they had ordered while waiting on JJ and Emily.

"You two ready to order?" the waitress asked helpfully.

Emily nodded as she closed her menu and waved a hand at JJ to go first.

+++/+++\+++

After dinner, the group found their way to the dance floor, just having a good time cutting loose. The floor was full but not so crowded that there wasn't room to actually dance and JJ and Garcia decided to take an active interest in Reid's moves and were valiantly trying to teach him how to dance. Their attempts, while comical and entertaining, did little to help the awkward genius find his rhythm; but, as the mood surrounding the group was laid back and fun, he played along, doing the best he could and just enjoying the feeling of camaraderie and being accepted.

Emily smiled and laughed with Morgan as they danced together, watching the two blondes with Reid. The night was turning out to be easy and relaxed, and, truthfully, exactly what they all needed after the last couple weeks. After the fourth song ended, Emily gave Morgan a playful wink before sashaying over to JJ, sliding in behind the blonde as she began to move in time with her.

JJ smiled as she moved back into Emily and felt the brunette's hands snake around her waist to hold onto her hips. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at her lover. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself," Emily replied playfully as she pulled JJ in even closer so that the blonde's ass was pressed tight to her zipper.

"Mmm," JJ purred as her attention shifted off of their friends and onto the way Emily's body felt moving against hers.

"Get a room," Garcia teased as she pantomimed whipping a lasso over her head to wrangle-in Morgan, who just laughed and danced over to the quirky blonde, more than happy to play along.

Emily laughed and rolled her hips forward into JJ teasingly as she turned her attention to their friend. "When the lady says it's time to go, we'll go."

JJ bit her lip to keep from moaning at the feeling of Emily pushing against her back. "The lady," she husked, spinning easily in Emily's grasp and looping her arms over the brunette's shoulders, "wants to dance."

Emily smiled and dipped her head to kiss JJ softly. "Whatever you want, my love," she whispered as she used her hold on the blonde's hips to guide them into an easy rhythm together.

JJ sighed happily and gave herself over to the feeling of Emily's body moving against her own, letting herself become lost in the erratic, playful beat of the music pumping down at them through the speakers in the ceiling. Her eyes never left Emily's as they danced, the rest of the bar, the rest of the world, for that matter, forgotten as her world, her entire focus narrowed to the woman in her arms and the way her body was reacting to her.

Emily smiled as she watched JJ's eyes darken and gave the blonde a playful wink as she shifted ever so slightly, sliding off to the side just enough that she was able to sneak a leg between her lover's.

"God," JJ gasped, her eyes darkening further as the feeling of the brunette's firm, toned thigh between her legs brought to mind their activities from earlier that morning.

"Emily is fine," the brunette teased as she slowed their movement, making their tempo less playful and much, much more seductive. Hands began to roam slowly over clothes, grasping, kneading, massaging as they danced, brown eyes locked onto blue as breaths sped and grew shallower, heartbeats falling into a synchronized beat as their bodies, their hearts, their minds became one.

They continued to dance, oblivious to the stares they were receiving from the other patrons in the bar. They didn't see the way Morgan and Garcia stared down the gawkers until curious, invasive eyes slid away embarrassedly, they didn't hear the amused comments from their friends as they turned back to them. They only became aware of the world outside themselves when a soft hand landed on Emily's shoulder and Garcia's apologetic voice whispered in JJ's ear, "Methinks the lady is ready to go."

JJ's eyes finally broke away from Emily's smoldering gaze to find Garcia smiling at them, Morgan standing beside her with his back to the pair, keeping an eye on the rest of the club. As the fog of obliviousness surrounding them dissipated, she saw that she and Emily were drawing quite a bit of attention and she felt her face flame with embarrassment. "Oh god."

"It's okay, pumpkin," Garcia assured the blushing blonde.

"Thank you," Emily said sincerely, catching Garcia's gaze and holding it – letting the analyst know exactly how much she appreciated her looking out for them. "Jennifer, are you ready to go home?"

JJ's eyes sifted from Penelope to Emily and she nodded. "Yes."

"Enjoy your weekend, and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Penelope told them cheerily. "Now, get out of here so that way my hunk of burning love pays attention to me instead of playing bodyguard for you two lovely ladies."

"Thanks guys, really," Emily said, a little bit louder.

Morgan turned and winked. "See you Monday, Prentiss. Jayj – take care of her."

"I will." JJ smiled. "Bye, Spence."

"Bye JJ," Reid replied from his position on the other side of Garcia. "See you later Emily."

"Reid," Emily gave the lanky man a genuine smile before turning her attention to JJ. "Shall we?"

JJ nodded, giving the brunette a small smile as she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears. They each gave their friends a quick wave before they returned to their booth at the back of the bar and retrieved their coats, and minutes later they were securing themselves in the safe cocoon of Emily's car.

"Well, that was fun," JJ drawled as she snapped her seatbelt into place.

Emily smirked as she leaned across the center console to run a gentle hand over the blonde's brow and down her jaw. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for us to get that… intense."

JJ licked her lips and leaned into Emily's touch. "We'll have to go dancing again soon," she stated, punctuating her words with a lingering kiss to the brunette's lips. "I _really_ enjoyed that."

"Putting on a show?" Emily teased.

JJ shook her head as she made a small negating sound in the back of her throat. "Dancing with you, like that. I've never felt that way on a dance floor before."

"Like, what?"

JJ tipped her chin up and kissed the brunette again. "Like it was foreplay," she whispered. "Take me to bed, Agent Prentiss."

Emily bit her lip as her heart beat an irregular staccato in response to the blonde's words and nodded. "As the lady commands. Still want to go back to my place in the city?"

JJ nodded, her left hand dropping to the brunette's leg as she settled back into her seat. "Just, drive fast."

"I can do that," Emily assured her as she twisted the key in the ignition and the throaty rumble of the V8 under the hood of her Range Rover roared to life.


	20. Chapter 20

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**CHAPTER  
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**20**

Emily groaned as she tried, once again, to angle her house key into the lock on her front door. Normally she could execute this particular maneuver with ease, but the feeling of JJ's hands on her hips and the blonde's lips, tongue, and teeth upon her neck had her more than a little distracted. "Dammit, Jennifer," she grunted as the blonde's teeth raked over the sensitive hollow beneath her ear. "Just let me get us inside."

JJ grinned and slipped her hands further around Emily's hips, her left hand sliding down over the brunette's fly to cup her through her clothes. She pushed her fingertips up into Emily and murmured, "I can't wait," as she used the fingers of her right hand to deftly slip the strap of Emily's belt out of its hook in a single, fluid motion.

Emily whimpered at the feeling of JJ's fingers busy working against her clothing and redoubled her efforts at unlocking and opening her door. She knew her building had security cameras in the hall, and she didn't want to give the night security officer any more of a show than he'd already gotten. With the way JJ was refusing to let up, she figured she had _maybe_ another thirty seconds before the blonde's hand was in her pants. "Thank god," she groaned as she finally managed to slide her key into the lock and twist it open.

JJ hummed her agreement as she pushed against the brunette's back, urging them inside as she kicked her overnight bag into the condo. "Emily," she purred as she hooked the door shut with her heel, laying soft and not-so-soft nips to the side of the older woman's neck as her fingers worked at the button to her lover's slacks.

Emily moaned and leaned back into JJ, submitting to her touch with a sigh as she wrapped her right arm around the back of the blonde's neck, holding her close, holding her right there where her mouth was doing so many wonderful things.

JJ smiled against Emily's neck as she felt the older woman's submission. It was a powerful feeling, knowing that Emily trusted her so implicitly. "I love you," she murmured as she unhooked the button to Emily's pants and began sliding the zipper slowly, so slowly down its track, relishing the feeling of each tooth releasing, savoring the heat she could feel as her hand moved incrementally closer to her lover's center.

Emily whimpered at the feeling of her pants becoming looser around her hips. "Jen," she husked, sliding her left hand backwards, over the blonde's hip to dig her fingers encouragingly into the younger woman's ass. "Yes," she gasped as she felt JJ's left hand move up under her shirt to palm her breast possessively through the material of her bra.

"Oh Emily," JJ whispered adoringly as the zipper she'd been toying with hit the end of its track. She slipped her hand in through the flared fabric to dip an explorative finger between Emily's legs, lightly running that finger the length of her, feeling the heat, the want, the wetness that was barely contained by already sodden panties. "I want you," she murmured as she cupped Emily fully over her underwear.

She felt her own panties grow markedly wetter as Emily moaned and ground herself down onto her hand. The raspy, almost desperate, "Please!", that fell from the brunette's lips was equally arousing.

"You want me to take you?" she husked, slipping her hand upon Emily's breast enough to tweak the brunette's nipple between her thumb and forefinger as she eased a teasing finger under the flimsy elastic holding her lover's panties in place. A low moan tumbled from her lips when she felt, really felt, how wet and ready Emily was for her. "My god, Em."

"Jennifer, please," Emily whispered, trembling in JJ's possessive embrace as she felt the blonde's finger begin circling her clit in time with the light pinches that were being delivered to her nipple. She didn't care that they were both still fully dressed, she didn't care that they were standing in the middle of her foyer, she didn't care one whit that this encounter wasn't soft and loving and romantic – the only thing she cared about was feeling her lover's hands and what they were doing to her. "Please," she repeated her request, taking a small step outward with her right leg, opening herself up for the younger woman, hoping JJ would take the hint and touch her more firmly. "Please."

JJ groaned and gave in to both of their desires, slipping her left hand inside the cup of Emily's bra as she boldly pushed two fingers into the brunette with her other hand. "Ohh," she moaned as the warmth of Emily surrounded her, grasped at her, drawing her deeper. Emily felt different than any other woman she'd ever been inside, so much better, so much hotter, wetter, tighter, god so fucking tight as she pumped her fingers into her with long, steady strokes. "You feel so good," she purred, nipping at a particularly sensitive spot on the brunette's neck that she'd discovered the night before.

Emily whimpered, her tenuous grip on her lover tightening as she let loose a strangled, "Jen!"

"Mmm," JJ hummed, running the tip of her tongue down the length of Emily's neck, using her chin to pull the collar of the older woman's shirt out of the way enough for her to lay a wet, open-mouthed kiss at the spot where the brunette's neck and shoulder met.

"Fuck!" Emily gasped, turning her head almost painfully to the side as she sought JJ's mouth with her own.

JJ moaned approvingly and claimed the brunette's mouth in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was hot and wet, a purely animalistic connection of lips and teeth and tongues as they tried to devour, to consume, each other whole. She sucked Emily's tongue deeper into her mouth as she rolled the heel of her hand into the brunette's clit, pressing hard against the bundle of nerves and causing Emily to cry out in pleasure even as her body rocked down into the contact.

"That's it," JJ encouraged as she pulled away to allow both of them to breathe, keeping the heel of her hand in place, grinding against Emily's sensitive point. Her thrusts stalled as she focused on stimulating the bundle and she instead curled her fingers forward, seeking and easily finding the telltale ridges that marked the brunette's g-spot.

"Jennifer," Emily groaned loudly as the blonde's precise touch caused her knees to buckle.

JJ smiled and licked the brunette's parted, kiss swollen lips as she once again rubbed her fingertips against the front of Emily's channel. She mewled sympathetically as she felt the tensing of Emily's sex around her fingers and knew that the brunette's release was imminent, so she wisely tightened her hold over her lover's torso, no longer teasing, tweaking, or rolling the nipple under her hand and instead using the breast as a handle to hold onto to keep Emily upright when her climax did finally overtake her.

Emily bit her lip to try and contain her screams, reducing the sounds of her pleasure to desperate, muffled cries. Her body was on fire, JJ was working her perfectly, so perfectly that it wasn't going to be long until the heat that was coiled low in her hips was unleashed and the liberating waves of her orgasm rolled through her.

"Mmm, that's it Em," JJ encouraged breathily as the velvet walls surrounding her fingers began to contract. "Let it go, baby. I love you so much. I've got you. Just let go," she whispered, brushing her lips against Emily's as she held the older woman tight to her chest and continued to thrust slowly into her, trying to draw out Emily's orgasm for as long as possible.

When the spasms racking her body eased, Emily reached down and gently eased JJ's fingers from inside her. She lifted the digits to her lips as she turned to face her lover and held her gaze captive as she began licking those wonderful, magical fingers clean.

"Fuck, Em," JJ husked as she watched Emily's tongue upon her, as she felt it sliding over and around her fingers before plunging between them, raking across back and forth across the webbing separating them in an undeniably erotic motion. She groaned as she pulled her way and attacked the brunette's mouth with her own, plunging her tongue into Emily's mouth, tasting the brunette on her tongue.

Emily moaned and reached down to grab hold of JJ's hips, pulling their bodies together roughly. "I want you in bed, Jennifer," she husked as she began kissing her way over the blonde's jaw to suck hungrily against the younger woman's pulse point. "I want to _see_ all of you, _feel_ all of you, taste…" her voice trailed off as she extended her tongue to lay a broad lick against the column of the blonde's throat, "_all_ of you."

JJ moaned as her hips bucked into Emily. "Baby."

"Upstairs," Emily husked as she stepped backwards, further into her condo, pulling her younger lover with her. "Now."

They stumbled up the stairs in halting, ragged bursts as they focused the majority of their attention on getting the other undressed so that when they finally reached the top some minutes later, still partially clothed, they were both gasping for air and giggling at the utter ridiculousness of their actions.

"This would have been so much easier not on the stairs," Emily muttered as she slipped JJ's panties down over her hips and allowed gravity to take them the rest of the way to the floor.

"Mmm," JJ hummed as she ran the flats of her hands over the plane of Emily's chest to cup the brunette's naked breasts in her palms. "Perhaps," she agreed playfully as she massaged the mounds under her hands.

Emily smiled and reached up to wrap her hands around JJ's wrists, using that grasp to pull the younger woman's hands off of her. "I don't think so, Jareau," she teased as she began pushing the blonde backwards toward the bed. "You had your turn already."

JJ smiled cheekily and lifted her chin to kiss Emily quickly. "What if I wasn't done yet?"

"We have all night," Emily assured her.

"Not going to be nearly enough time," JJ replied as she allowed herself to be pushed back onto the bed.

"All weekend?" Emily offered as she stood at the edge of the bed and lifted JJ's ankle to her lips.

"Still not enough."

Emily smiled as she began laying a line of kisses up the inside of the blonde's leg. "How long do you think you'll need?"

JJ writhed under the brunette and gasped, "Dunno."

Emily smiled and licked behind JJ's knee. "A month? A year?" she teased as she resumed her path up JJ's leg, brushing her lips over the inside of the blonde's thigh, bending down to keep that contact as she neared her ultimate goal.

"Emily," JJ sighed as she reached down to thread her fingers through dark silk encouragingly.

"Jennifer," Emily breathed as she pressed a soft kiss to the blonde's lower lips, lashing the tip of her tongue lightly against JJ's clit before blowing gently against the pulsing bundle.

"God! Don't tease!" JJ yelped as she felt Emily's breath stream across her.

Emily obliged and laid a long, heavy lick through JJ's folds. "What do you want?" she asked as she moved in to capture the blonde's clit between her lips and suckle it.

JJ groaned. She was already so close, so, so incredibly, painfully aroused from their earlier encounter, that she just needed to come. "You. Inside me," she gasped as Emily's teeth raked over sensitive nerves.

Emily laid one last kiss, one last teasing swirl of her tongue over JJ's clit before she pulled back to stand at the edge of the bed, her body positioned perfectly between JJ's legs. She licked her lips and smiled as she reached down to trail two fingers through her lover, enjoying the feeling of the warmth of the blonde's desire as it coated her fingers.

"Emily, please," JJ whimpered, her hips lifting off of the mattress as she tried to force the brunette inside her.

Emily looked up from what her hand was doing to look, really look at JJ. "I love you," she whispered as she used her ring and middle fingers to tease the blonde's opening, feinting that definitive thrust that JJ wanted, stimulating the sensitive ring of muscle before she pushed inside.

"Fuck yes," JJ groaned at the feeling of fullness Emily's fingers created.

Emily moaned appreciatively as she watched JJ's head fall back onto the mattress, eyes closed, back arched in pleasure. She ran her left hand up JJ's torso to palm one of her breasts as she shuffled closer to the bed, resting the back of her wrist against her own damp curls, using her hips to help her thrust more powerfully into the blonde.

JJ gasped at the first, more forceful thrust, her eyes snapping open to find Emily between her legs, hips pumping as she drove herself into her. Her right hand wrapped itself around the brunette's left wrist while her right tangled itself in the sheets. "Em," she groaned. "Harder baby, please."

A low, decidedly feral growl tore itself from the blonde's lips as Emily acquiesced to her demand and began pumping into her harder, faster, the heel of the brunette's hand slapping against her clit and sending glorious waves of electricity through her. "Fuck yes," she moaned. "God Em, so good."

Emily could tell that JJ was riding the razor edge of her release, so on her next deep, powerful thrust she curled her fingers, raking them over the ribbed patch at the top of the blonde's channel as she withdrew. The scream that exploded from JJ urged her forward and she began to move even faster, making sure to that spot on every stroke until with a final thrust, a final slow, rotating grind against of the heel of her hand against the blonde's clit, JJ came apart with a scream.

Emily winced as JJ's nails dug into her arm but accepted the pain eagerly, too enamored with the sight of JJ's flushed, sweat covered torso spread out before her like a work of art. She slowed her thrusts as the blonde's spasms eased, eventually pulling out to climb onto the bed to cradle her gasping lover to her chest.

"Mmm," JJ moaned as she rolled onto her side, burying her face in the crook of Emily's neck.

Emily chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of JJ's head. "So…" she murmured as she rolled them back over so that she was lying half on top of her lover and was able to stare deep into her eyes, "how long do you think you'll need?" she asked, returning to their earlier half-conversation.

Still lost to the aftereffects of their lovemaking, JJ frowned. "For what?"

Emily smiled as she dipped her chin to kiss JJ softly. "You said the weekend wasn't going to be nearly long enough. So, I was wondering how long you think you'll need."

JJ blushed and tried to look away but was stopped by a firm but gentle finger under her chin and a quietly whispered plea, "Don't hide from me, Jennifer." She was helpless but to oblige the request and when she looked up at Emily she found the most amazing, smoldering mahogany eyes staring back at her, so full of love and tenderness that it quite literally took her breath away.

"A lifetime," JJ breathed as the look in Emily's eyes drove her past all evasiveness and straight into the truth. She watched a look of complete astonishment cross the brunette's face before she closed her eyes and waited for Emily to pull away, to run from the enormity of her feelings. Her heart raced in her chest as she feared she'd said too much, but before she could either amend or retract her statement she felt the now familiar sensation of Emily's lips wrapped around her own. She returned the kiss eagerly, hungrily, needing the warmth and reassurance that the caress promised.

"Sounds good to me," Emily murmured as she kissed JJ again, sweetly, softly, tenderly. Assuring the blonde with her words and her touch that she thought the same thing, that she felt the same way. She pulled back with a smile and watched as JJ's eyes fluttered open slowly, as if she were awaking from a dream. Her heart skipped a beat as a breathtakingly gorgeous smile lit the younger woman's face.

JJ's eyes danced over Emily's features as she reached up to cradle the older woman's face in her hands. "I love you," she whispered, her voice awed and resolute.

"I love you, Jennifer," Emily swore softly, dipping her head to kiss the blonde again tenderly.

The weight of the moment, of their declarations hung heavy in the air around them as they stared lovingly into each other's eyes. No more words were spoken, none were needed, as everything between them lay out in the open, accepted, received, and reciprocated. It was simple and beautiful and right, and, while it may have been too early in their relationship for such promises, neither felt compelled to back away from them. Seconds ticked by into minutes which, for all either of them knew, could have bled into hours as they laid in each other's arms, touching, kissing, holding tight to each other in silence, both content to simply exist in the moment.

Finally, as with all things, the serious mood enveloping them eased until light, loving caresses became playful, tickling touches dancing down sensitive sides, eliciting giggles and laughter and a sense of all-encompassing _rightness_.

"You know," Emily mused as she watched her fingers trace across JJ's brow and down, over her jaw to her lips, gliding back and forth over them thoughtfully. "I still need to take you on that date."

JJ couldn't help it, she laughed. Laughed, loud and long, until her sides hurt and tears streamed from her eyes as she gasped for air. "God, I love you," she said as she tangled her fingers in black silk and pulled Emily's mouth down for another kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

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**CHAPTER  
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**21**

JJ let out a small, contented sigh as she awoke late the next morning. The mid-morning sun was pouring through the large windows that lined the far end of Emily's bedroom, and she smiled as she felt the brunette's arm tighten around her waist to keep her from moving away.

As if she would ever want to.

She turned her head into her lover's chest and pressed a kiss to the gentle slope of Emily's breast that had served as her pillow the night before. She brushed her lips back and forth over the silky-soft skin, a contented smile tweaking her lips as Emily murmured incoherently beneath her. Her smile turned devious as her gaze zeroed in on the nipple that was mere inches in front of her face and her thoughts shifted from gentle and loving to playful in an instant.

It was just too tempting to pass up.

She leaned forward and took the flaccid nipple between her lips to suck against it softly, lightly circling the tip with her tongue before pulling back to blow a steady stream of air across it. Emily moaned softly at the sensation and she turned her head to see if the brunette had awoken or not, and she was pleased to see that Emily was still fast asleep. She smirked as she leaned in to recapture the nipple between her lips, this time sucking against it with a little more force, delighting in the soft sighs that fell from her slumbering lover's lips as she played at her breast. When she felt Emily's nipple grow to a hard point against her tongue, she released it and pushed herself up to be able to lean across the older woman's body to level the same amount of attention on the brunette's other breast.

"Good morning to you, too," Emily sleepy whisper broke the silence of the room as she reached up with her left hand to run her fingers through her lover's hair.

JJ looked up at the sound of Emily's voice and the feeling of the brunette's fingers combing through her hair, and smiled. "You're awake."

"Mmm." Emily nodded as she stretched, purposefully thrusting her chest up at JJ. "I am. But, please, don't let that stop you."

JJ chuckled and leaned in to lay a quick lick to the nipple she had been teasing. "You like this, huh?"

Emily grinned. "Who wouldn't? It's a great way to wake up," she answered as she ran her fingers down the blonde's spine.

"Well, I'm always happy to be of help," JJ quipped as she leaned in again to suck hungrily against Emily's nipple. She smiled as she felt Emily arch up into her and she shifted her weight so that she was holding herself more on her knees so she could run her right hand down the brunette's torso in a lazy, meandering path until she was gliding over dark curls.

"Jen," Emily rasped at the feeling of JJ's fingertips against her as she moved her left leg to the side, opening herself up for her lover even as she slipped her right hand under the blonde.

"Fuck, Em," JJ gasped as she felt Emily's fingers dip into her center, her hips rocking down into the brunette's touch and her head snapping up so she could look at her lover who was wearing a grin that even the Cheshire Cat would be proud of.

Emily hiked a brow challengingly. "What's good for the goose," she teased as she slid her fingers through JJ's lower lips, gathering the blonde's arousal on her fingertips before focusing her attention on JJ's clit.

JJ smiled and immediately copied Emily's movement, matching the movement of her fingers to that of those circling against her. "Is this going to become a competition, Agent Prentiss?"

Emily laughed and quickly slid her hand up to ease two fingers into her hovering lover. "I dunno," she teased as she began slowly thrusting into her. "Is it?"

JJ wanted to respond, but the feeling of Emily moving inside her made coherent thought impossible and the most she could come up with was an unintelligible mewl of pleasure.

"Cat got your tongue?" Emily taunted playfully.

JJ smiled as the brunette's seemingly innocent turn of phrase gave her an idea. "No," she murmured as she began turning her body as well as she could with Emily's fingers still slowly pumping into her, until her mouth was hovering above damp curls. "Not yet," she continued as she pulled her hand away so she could angle her head between her lover's legs.

Emily spread her legs open wider and groaned at the feeling of JJ's tongue against her, and the blonde's answering moan brought a flood of wetness pouring forth from both of them. Not to be outdone, she used her intimate hold on the blonde to try and urge her sideways, but JJ refused to move.

"Em?"

"Me too," Emily murmured, pulling out of JJ and resting her wet hand on the side of the blonde's hip, pressing lightly, trying to pull JJ over her.

JJ bit her lip and looked up at Emily. The brunette's face was still bruised, now more yellow and green than purple and blue, but she was still obviously injured. "Em, you're hurt."

"I'm fine," Emily argued gently as she again pressed lightly against the blonde's hip, silently urging her into motion.

"You'll tell me if I hurt you?"

Emily nodded. "Of course. But you won't, Jen. Just… please?"

It was the look of absolute, unfettered desire in Emily's dark brown eyes that convinced her to move. "Okay," JJ murmured as she shifted her weight once again, this time balancing herself on her hands as she carefully, so very carefully moved to straddle Emily's face.

Emily moaned at the sight of JJ's sex hovering above her and wasted no time grabbing hold of the blonde's hips and guiding her down to where she was able to lay a long, heavy lick through wet, swollen folds. "Mmm, Jennifer," she moaned at the feeling of the blonde's thighs upon her cheeks, the smell of her desire, the taste of her want, her need. She was surrounded by JJ, each and every one of her senses was focused on the blonde so that she was practically drowning in her, and it was glorious.

JJ groaned and her hips rocked back to meet Emily's mouth as she lowered herself to her elbows. Her eyes fluttered closed as she breathed in the intoxicating aroma of Emily's arousal before she dipped her mouth lower to suck the brunette's clit between her lips, lashing it lightly with her tongue as she slipped her hands under Emily's thighs, grasping at them to pull her open wider.

"Sweet Jesus," Emily whimpered into JJ's lower lips as she felt the blonde's teeth rake lightly over her.

The trembling waves of the brunette's voice cascading over her drew an answering cry from JJ's throat as she tightened her hold on Emily's thighs and began to match her touch to that of the mouth and tongue against her. Stroke for stroke, lick for lick, suck for suck, they pushed each other higher, their bodies falling into a perfectly synchronized rhythm against each other. Moans poured from hungry mouths to be swallowed by glistening lips as they soared higher and higher, each of their touches growing firmer, more determined as they both endeavored to push the other over the edge first.

JJ's hips began bucking out of rhythm against Emily's mouth as her impending climax neared, the tempo of her tongue also faltering as her body began to demand she focus on her own pleasure rather than her lover's. She moaned loudly against Emily, her breath, the vibrations of her stifled cry drawing a fresh flood of hot, liquid desire from the brunette as Emily's hands tightened on her hips, pulling her down harder as the brunette's tongue plunged into her.

JJ's head snapped up at the unexpected move and she was helpless to contain the cry of pleasure that tore from her throat. "Fuck! Em!" she screamed as her body instinctively ground itself down onto the brunette's mouth, seeking more of that touch, that pleasure.

Emily smiled and repeated the motion, again roughly thrusting her tongue as deep as she could into JJ even as she massaged her lover's hips gently, encouragingly.

Encouragement which JJ felt and accepted as she abandoned her own oral assault to lift herself straighter, to take the brunette deeper.

Emily moaned at the feeling of JJ's body shifting above her, at the feeling of JJ's hips rocking against her mouth, and she moaned loudly into her core when she felt the blonde's fingers rolling, pinching, and pulling against her clit. She tightened her hold on JJ's hips and began fucking the blonde with her tongue, determined to bring JJ to the edge and throw her over it.

And over it JJ flew, her hips stalling as a guttural scream tore from her throat. As her body tensed, her fingers pushed hard into Emily's sensitive point and she was aware enough to recognize the equally primal scream that flowed into her from her lover as she, too, shook with the force of her own orgasm.

JJ rolled off of her lover, somehow finding the coordination to turn herself back around to lie in Emily's arms even as her body continued to tremble with the aftereffects of her release, to hold the brunette close. "Jesus, Em," she murmured as she tipped her head up to kiss the brunette. "Mmm," she moaned at the taste of herself on Emily's tongue, a lower, more feral growl rumbling approvingly in her chest as she once again tasted the unique flavor that they created together.

Emily smiled and pulled back to lay a quick, playful kiss to the tip of JJ's nose. "Definitely a great way to wake up."

JJ shook her head and laughed. "Way to kill the mood, babe."

Emily winked and rolled them over so she was hovering above the blonde. "I dunno," she teased as she leaned close, feinting a kiss before pulling away. "Did I kill it completely?" she asked as she ran her right hand down JJ's side to cradle the blonde's left breast in her palm.

JJ smirked as she pretended to seriously think about it, her façade of contemplation crumbling as Emily's thumb brushed over her nipple and the brunette leaned in to kiss her hungrily. "I guess not," she conceded when Emily finally pulled away.

"Good," Emily grinned as she brushed her thumb over the nipple in her hand, her already dark eyes growing impossibly darker at the purr the touch drew from her lover.

The sound of a cell phone ringing out in the hall interrupted whatever Emily was going to say, or do, next.

"Is that the song from Star Wars?" JJ laughed.

Emily sighed and nodded. "It is, indeed. The Imperial March, to be more specific."

JJ pursed her lips thoughtfully as she listened to the tinny music pouring from the speaker of Emily's Blackberry. "That's the bad guy song."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Yes, I guess you could call it that."

JJ grinned. "Whose ringtone is it?"

Emily groaned and dropped her head to rest her forehead against JJ's. "My mother's."

"Well that kinda killed the mood," JJ grumbled.

"Yeah, she's rather good at that," Emily agreed as her cell phone stopped ringing. Only to be promptly followed by the ringing of the handheld unit on the brunette's bedside table.

"Do you think you should get that?" JJ asked as she ran her hands over the brunette's back.

Emily shook her head. "She can leave a message," she replied as she tipped her chin up to claim JJ's lips in a slow, deep, lingering kiss that she hoped would help them recapture their earlier mood.

JJ responded to Emily's kiss eagerly, tangling her fingers in the brunette's hair and drawing her in closer as she arched into her lover's hand. They were well on their way to achieving Emily's goal when the voice of Elizabeth Prentiss cackled through the house.

_"Emily, this is your mother."_

"Heh, no shit," Emily muttered as she closed her eyes, trying to drown out her mother's voice as she dipped her head down to suck against JJ's pulse point.

_"I spoke with Section Chief Strauss this morning, and she informed me that you and your team have the weekend off. I would like you to come to the house tomorrow for dinner." _

"Sorry, mom," Emily replied, as if her mother could actually hear her. "Can't make it. I have a date with a hot blonde."

_"No need to dress for it, we'll keep things casual. I'd just like to see you before I head overseas again."_

JJ laughed, the happy sound morphing into a growl as Emily nipped at her collarbone. "A hot blonde, eh?"

_"I'll speak with you later,"_ the Ambassador announced before there was a loud hum of a dial tone and then the machine grew silent.

Emily nodded against JJ's neck and pressed a lazy kiss to the hollow of the blonde's throat. "The most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Definitely can't cancel on her, it'd be incredibly rude," she murmured between kisses

JJ blushed at the playful compliment. "We can go out tonight instead," she offered.

"Nope," Emily hummed. "Everything is already set up for tomorrow. No way to reschedule anything."

"So call her back and tell her you can meet her for dinner tonight or Sunday instead."

Emily buried her face in the crook of JJ's neck and frowned. She had been looking forward to three days alone with the beautiful blonde in her arms. Alone, being the key word. But, her mother was leaving for London next week, and she had to admit that she should probably see the Ambassador before she left.

"What are you thinking about?" JJ murmured.

"Will you go with me?"

JJ's eyes widened with surprise. "You want me to meet your mother?"

"You've already met her," Emily chuckled at the obvious surprise in JJ's voice. "But, if you'd rather not meet her as my girlfriend, I understand," she said softly as she looked up to let her eyes show JJ that she meant it. "I had been hoping to spend our entire time off with you, and I would like my mother to know how incredibly happy you make me – but if you're not comfortable with the idea…"

JJ pressed a finger to Emily's lips, effectively silencing her. "Call your mother. I'll go with you."

Emily's eyes widened. "You will?"

"Yes. I meant what I said last night. Although it may be early in our relationship, I do know that I love you. That I want a lifetime with you. So, since it's gonna have to happen sooner or later, I may as well get it out of the way now."

Emily smiled and leaned in to kiss JJ hungrily. "Seriously, Jennifer, you blow me away," she muttered between kisses.

"What about your mother?" JJ gasped as she felt Emily's hand leave her breast to begin sliding down her stomach.

"She can wait. I need to show you how much I love you right now." She dipped her hand between JJ's legs, wasting no time on pretenses as she deftly slipped two fingers deep into the blonde.

+++/+++\+++

Several hours later, JJ came down the stairs from showering to find Emily standing in front of the windows in the living room, her posture stiff as she massaged her forehead with her left hand. The cause of the brunette's tension was immediately obvious as well; the phone in her right hand meant that she was finally getting back to the Ambassador.

"No, mother. I have already made reservations for tomorrow and I cannot rearrange them on such short notice," Emily stated, her syntax formal, her tone final.

JJ frowned as she turned the corner of the stairs and went into the kitchen to give Emily some semblance of privacy, even if the open layout of the condo didn't technically provide it.

"Yes, mother. … Sunday would be fine. … I understand. … Yes, JJ will be coming as well. … Of course. Casual dress for dinner? … Good. Five? … Excellent. We'll see you then, mother." Emily disconnected the call and slid the cell into her pocket.

JJ leaned back against the center island and sipped her coffee as she watched the determined, almost defensive set of Emily's shoulders ease until the brunette looked much more like the relaxed, playful Emily she had come to know over the last week. She wanted to ask about dinner with the Ambassador, but she knew that particular topic of conversation would be best approached later, after Emily had had time to process her conversation with her mother.

"So, what would you like to do today?" Emily asked as she slowly turned to face her lover, desperately wanting to just get back to the warm, intimate blanket of familiarity they'd been wrapped in before her mother had managed to rip it from them.

JJ smiled over the rim of her mug and shrugged. "You."

Emily laughed and shook her head as she rounded the side of the couch and made her way across the small space into the kitchen. Still chuckling, she gently took the cup of coffee out of JJ's hands and set it onto the counter behind the blonde as she leaned in and kissed her softly. "We can do that again later," she murmured as she reached up to cradle JJ's face between her hands, brushing the pads of her thumbs over the blonde's cheeks as she watched her bright blue eyes darken.

JJ licked her lips as she reached up to wrap her hands around Emily's wrists. "Promise?"

Emily smirked as she dipped her head to kiss JJ again, this time not as softly, not as gently, pushing her tongue between already parted lips to dance and stroke against the blonde's. When their dual need for air forced them apart, she rested her forehead against JJ's and whispered, "Forever."

JJ smiled as her heart skipped a beat in her chest before it seemed to soar up into her throat. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jennifer," Emily murmured, laying one last quick kiss to the blonde's lips before she pulled away. "It looks nice out – you want to just walk around the Mall, take in the Cherry Blossom Festival, and maybe hit a museum or something?"

"Sounds perfect," JJ replied as she released her hold on Emily's wrists. "But, first – coffee."

Emily laughed. "Of course. I wouldn't dare deprive you of your caffeine fix. Would you like some breakfast to go with it?"

"Depends," JJ drawled as she turned enough to pick up her mug. "Whatcha making?"

Emily frowned thoughtfully. That was a very good question. "Let me see what I have," she said as she rounded the island to open the fridge. "I have a couple of english muffins, eggs, cheese… wait," she pulled it out, JJ assumed to check for mold, "yeah, I have cheese. Oh, and some bacon left over from when you cooked dinner last week. You want a breakfast sandwich?"

JJ's stomached answered with a loud growl before the blonde could even formulate a verbal response.

Emily laughed. "I take it that's a yes. There should be a paper on the mat outside the door, why don't you go get it and then take that cute little ass of yours over to the couch to relax while I make us some breakfast."

"If you insist," JJ replied with a smile as she set her cup down once again so that way she could go retrieve the paper. She came back to the kitchen to pick up her coffee and smiled at the sight of Emily moving easily around the kitchen as she started to prepare their food. "You want me to put on some music?"

Emily turned and smiled. "If you want."

"In the mood for anything in particular?" JJ asked as she took the paper and her mug over to the coffee table before making her way over to the entertainment center where Emily's iPod was docked.

"Nope," Emily replied as she cracked an egg into a ramekin. "Just pick out whatever you'd like."

JJ smiled as she found a familiar name in the list of Emily's playlists. She set it to play and stopped to look out the window at the Capital Building as a familiar piano melody poured soulfully from the speakers and she automatically started singing along, not even thinking about what she was doing. "Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long. No matter what I say or do, I'll still feel you here, 'til the moment I'm gone."

Emily looked up from what she was doing at the familiar tune and smiled as she heard JJ's sweet voice singing along with the music. Forgetting her preparations, she set her hands on the counter and just watched the way JJ's hips began to sway slightly with the beat as the blonde sang along.

JJ turned from the stereo to find Emily watching her intently, and she felt an embarrassed blush creep up into her cheeks as she stopped singing and shrugged. "I've always loved this song."

"Me too." Emily winked as she returned to her task. She picked the fork and muffin she'd set down moments before and quickly split the muffin over the sink before setting the two halves into the toaster and pushing both paddles down.

"You have, huh?" JJ asked as she ignored the paper she'd set on the table and walked around the couch, taking up a position at the bar opposite where Emily was working.

Emily licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah."

"Hmm," JJ hummed, her head bobbing with the beat. "Speaking of music…"

"What an smooth transition there, Jareau," Emily chuckled.

JJ stuck her tongue out at the brunette. "Anyways, do you have a special ringtone for everybody in your contact list, or only your mother?"

Emily blushed and looked down at the eggs she'd cracked earlier, pretending to look for bits of shell floating around in the clear membrane surrounding the yolk. "Some are personalized, some are generic," she answered vaguely, hoping JJ would let it drop but know that there was no chance of it happening.

JJ grinned, correctly reading Emily's hesitance as confirmation that she had a special song dedicated to her on the brunette's phone. "What's Morgan's?"

Emily laughed and chanted, "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt…"

JJ chuckled. "Yeah, that's just too easy. Okay. Reid?"

"The theme from the original Star Trek television show."

JJ nodded approvingly. "Nice. But, again, too easy. Penelope?"

Emily smirked. "Talk Dirty to Me."

JJ let loose a bark of laughter. "Should I be jealous?"

Emily shook her head, an easy grin lifting her lips as she winked at the beautiful blonde. "I think you know the answer to that one by now. She likes to answer my calls with that line every now and again and it never fails to surprise me. So, it seemed fitting."

"What's mine?" JJ asked curiously.

Emily blushed. "Call Me."

JJ grinned and started to sing, "Call me, call me, anytime… call me my love, you can call me any day or night, call me. Cover me with kisses…"

"Yes! That one!" Emily interrupted, her face now feeling as if it were on fire.

"Nice choice," JJ noted, her grin easing into a warm, loving smile. "Want to know yours?" she asked, figuring the least she could do was share with the obviously mortified brunette.

Emily looked up, supremely interested. "I would."

Again, JJ started to sing, "I try to discover… a little something to make me sweeter… oh baby refrain, from breaking my heart… I'm so in love with you, I'll be forever blue, that you give me no reason…"

Emily, still flushed, began to sing along, "Why you making me work so hard? That you give me no, that you give me no, that you give me no, that you give me no soul… I hear you calling, oh baby please… give a little respect, to-ooh-ooh-ooh me."

JJ laughed as they finished their impromptu duet. "Yeah. That one."

"Okay, now I have to ask how you know that one – you were like, what, ten when that song came out?"

"I'll have you know I remember it from being on the radio, but I kind of forgot about it until I watched DEBS with Garcia not long after you'd joined the team," JJ answered unashamedly. "And, you can't tell me you and Morgan aren't _totally_ Lucy and Scud."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, easily picturing herself and her partner in those roles. "So, if I'm Lucy and Morgan's Scud, I take it that makes you Amy Bradshaw?"

JJ laughed and shrugged, pleased that Emily knew exactly what she was alluding to. "Well, you know – I am blonde… and a secret agent."

Emily smirked. "And what I wouldn't give to see you strutting around in a little plaid skirt."

"I happen to have one of those," JJ shared with a playful wink as she turned away from the counter, leaving Emily slack-jawed and staring as she sashayed back to the couch with an extra swing in her hips. "Now, make me breakfast, Ms. Diamond. I'm hungry," she called imperiously over her shoulder, giving Emily a sultry smile before she picked up the sports page and dropped down onto the couch to read.


	22. Chapter 22

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**CHAPTER  
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**22**

Emily smiled into the sun as she strolled hand-in-hand with JJ under the boughs of bright pink cherry blossoms. The sun was warm on their skin, a perfect balance to the chilly wind blowing in at them off the Potomac. All in all, the day was a picture-perfect early spring day in the nation's capital and she felt blessed to be able to spend it with the beautiful woman at her side. She looked over at her lover and let her eyes drink in the beauty afforded to her. JJ's honeyed skin seemed to glow in the warm late day sun, her flowing blonde hair was shimmering like the finest spun gold, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from their walk, the warmth of the sun, and the slight breeze blowing in off the Potomac. But what was, perhaps, the younger woman's most striking feature was the enigmatic smile tweaking her perfectly kissable lips. She reminded Emily of the Mona Lisa, smirking at something that only she could understand while the rest of the world was left to wonder what it was that she found so amusing.

She squeezed JJ's hand, drawing the blonde's attention away from a group of kids who were entertaining themselves by running through a small copse of cherry trees in what looked to be a game of tag. "Whatcha smiling about?" she asked, needing to know what it was that made the other woman smile that way.

JJ's grin widened and she squeezed Emily's hand as she leaned in closer so that they were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, their hands pressed together between their legs as they walked. "I dunno. I'm just happy."

Emily felt her own smile grow in response to JJ's simple statement. "I am too," she said, the warm tone of her voice conveying better than the simple words she'd spoken how truly happy she was. They had spent a good portion of the day perusing the halls of the National Gallery of Art before they'd taken to just walking around the grounds, enjoying the warm weather and each other.

JJ lifted their joined hands to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Emily's knuckles. "This was a lot of fun," she said, resting her head on the brunette's shoulder. "Thank you for suggesting it."

Emily turned her head enough to be able to press a kiss to the crown of JJ's head. "My pleasure," she murmured into blonde silk, closing her eyes and breathing in JJ's scent.

JJ smiled into the embrace and released her hold on Emily's hand so she could slip her arm around the brunette's waist, drawing the older woman closer. "So, what else do you have planned for this perfect afternoon?"

Emily chuckled. "Um, I don't really have anything else in mind. Dinner, perhaps? What would you like to do?"

"I still stand by my earlier suggestion," JJ replied.

"And that was, what, exactly?"

JJ slipped her hand down off of Emily's hip to squeeze her ass playfully. "You."

"Oh, yes. I remember you saying something about that," Emily teased as she felt JJ's hand slide into the back pocket of her jeans.

JJ squeezed the muscle under her hand again as she turned her head to press a soft kiss to the brunette's jaw. "So, whatcha think?"

Emily grinned. "I think we should eat dinner so that way we have plenty of energy for later."

"Do you, now?"

"Mmm." Emily nodded. "I do. So, what sounds good? And, don't say me. Real food, Jareau."

JJ huffed playfully at the brunette's stipulation. "Fine. What's around your place so that way we can just stop in on the way home?"

"Um, pizza, Chinese, there's a little sushi bar right around the corner from my building that isn't bad, a little mom and pop Italian place a few blocks down, a couple of sports bars," Emily replied. "Or, we can stop at the market and pick up something to cook. Whichever you'd prefer."

JJ mulled over the options. "Cooking would take too long, and I have no intention of wasting precious minutes preparing anything when I could be spending quality time with your naked body," she teased, giving Emily an absolutely lecherous grin as she quite obviously ran her eyes up and down lover's body. "So, that leaves going out. We had Thai two nights ago and bar food last night… sushi?"

"I can do sushi," Emily agreed as she led them down the steps to the Orange Line that would take them back toward her place.

JJ smiled softly to herself as she allowed Emily to guide her through the turnstiles first, and she made sure to sit extra close to the brunette once they were aboard the train. She hummed contentedly when she felt Emily's arm wrap around her shoulders and she relaxed into the touch, smiling sweetly at the man sitting across from them as she leaned in to rest her head on Emily's shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud when the old man gave her a playful smirk in response, and she _really_ had to fight to keep from giggling when she saw that same old man give Emily a knowing wink and two thumbs up when they stood as the train neared their stop.

Emily somehow managed to just nod politely at the man as she followed JJ off the train, her laughter only spilling forth as they set foot on the platform and quickly turning into raucous, full-bellied laughs as they ascended the stairs to street level. "Oh my god," Emily gasped. "That dirty old man totally winked at me!"

"Gave you two thumbs up as well," JJ added, slipping her hand into the brunette's as they turned down the sidewalk toward the restaurant.

Emily grinned. "Well, yeah. I mean, look at you – you're absolutely gorgeous."

"Panty dropper," JJ teased, a pleased blush tinting her cheeks as she turned toward Emily to press a soft kiss to the brunette's smiling lips.

"I speak only the truth," Emily replied, holding her hand up as if she were taking an oath.

"Mmm," JJ hummed. "You're not so bad yourself, Prentiss."

Now it was Emily's turn to blush as she felt the heavy weight of the blonde's stare upon her and she let out a loud breath as she spied the glowing neon sign for the sushi bar. "There it is," she said, pointing at the façade.

"You're changing the subject," JJ teased.

"I am," Emily agreed as they neared the shiny red lacquer front door and used the oversized aged brass handle to pull it open. "After you, my lady."

JJ batted her eyelashes at the brunette as she passed, putting on an affected air and a grandiose Southern accent as she replied, "Mah hero."

Emily laughed and shook her head at the blonde's antics as she followed her across the restaurant to the polished mahogany bar along the side wall. She smiled at the sushi chef as they sat, recognizing him from previous trips to the restaurant. "So, do you want to see a menu or do you pretty much know what you'd like?"

"Do they have any house specials?" JJ asked as she looked at the plates of the people around them.

"I like the Albacore Special," Emily said. "But, here-" she half stood and grabbed a folded menu that had been left two seats down from her. "Have a look."

"What's the Albacore Special?" JJ asked as she opened the menu and began looking over the pictures and descriptions of the different rolls the restaurant had.

"Good," Emily sighed, already deciding that she would have to get one. "Crab on the inside and then avocado and albacore on the top with this great little sauce poured all over it."

JJ pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay," she hummed as she folded the menu and lifted her gaze to her companion. "Sounds good, I'll have to try it. You know what you're going to get?"

Emily nodded and waved the sushi chef over so they could place their orders, thinking that there was a definite perk to eating an early dinner on a Friday night – you didn't have to wait for the chef's attention. She looked at JJ, waving at her to order first.

"Hi." JJ smiled at the young man. "Could I have an Albacore Special and a Spicy Tuna roll, please?"

Emily grinned. "Make that two of each."

"Oh!" JJ interjected. "And could I please get some extra ginger?"

"Of course," the chef replied as he waved a waitress over. "Would you two like something to drink?"

Emily arched a questioning brow at JJ as the waitress stopped between them, pen at the ready. "You feeling adventurous?"

JJ winked. "If you only knew," she drawled in a low, sexy voice.

Emily groaned. "Should have known better," she muttered under her breath before she turned her attention to the woman standing behind them. "Two bottles of Hitachino Nest."

JJ arched a questioning brow at the brunette as the waitress hurried over to a refrigerator on the other side of the bar. "What did you just order?"

"It's a craft brew from Japan," Emily answered. "Quite good, actually. Jimmy, one of the chefs that works here on the weekends, put me onto it the first time I came in with Morgan," she elaborated as two bottles were set down in front of them.

JJ hummed as she reached for the bottle and took a cautious sip, letting out a soft sound of surprise as the smooth ale slid down her throat. "I like it," she said as she set her bottle back down onto the bar.

"I thought you might." Emily grinned as she lifted her own bottle to her lips and took a sip.

"Cocky much?" JJ teased as she paid careful attention to the way the brunette's tongue slipped out to lick her lips.

Emily shook her head and chuckled. "Maybe someday, if you'd like," she teased with an exaggerated wink.

JJ moaned at the very idea of Emily wearing something like that and felt her mouth go dry as all the moisture in her body flowed south. "I… I… ahem," she stuttered as she fought to find a coherent thought, her frustration growing as she watched Emily's grin widen and the brunette's eyes darken. Words continued to evade her, causing her cheeks to flame with embarrassment as she gave a small nod and began toying with the label on her bottle.

Emily's grin softened as she watched JJ struggle for words and she discretely placed a reassuring hand on the younger woman's thigh as the sushi chef set a plate down in front of each of them with a flourish before backing away with a small bow. "Jennifer?" she asked softly. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

JJ looked up into Emily's soft eyes and gave the brunette a small smile. "You didn't," she murmured. "Well, you kind of did, but not in the way you're afraid of," she admitted quietly, shifting a little in her seat as her eyes darted down to her plate.

Emily chuckled and squeezed the thigh under her hand as she leaned in and brushed her lips over the line of JJ's jaw, ending the caress with a soft kiss just in front of the blonde's ear. "I love you," she whispered, nuzzling JJ's cheek softly as she ghosted her lips over the blonde's ear, letting the declaration and the gentle caress convey to her lover that she was very much willing to follow through with her teasing promise and that she found the younger woman's reaction to be absolutely adorable.

"Em," JJ whimpered pleadingly as Emily's proximity and the feeling of the brunette's breath dancing over her ear sent familiar tingling waves coursing through her body.

Emily chuckled again even as she obligingly pulled away. "Dinner?"

"Yes." JJ nodded jerkily. "Thank you."

"No problem."

JJ tipped her head in thanks as she lifted a piece of her Albacore Special roll to her lips. A low, appreciative moan rumbled in her throat at the taste and she blushed when she noticed Emily watching her intently. "What?"

"I think I'm mildly jealous of your food." Emily grinned.

"Shut up," JJ chuckled.

"What?"

JJ just shook her head and took a small sip from her beer. "So, dinner with your mother on Sunday, huh?"

Emily sucked her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. "Yeah."

"And… she's okay with my being there as well?"

"Yes," Emily murmured as she dipped a piece of spicy-tuna in her little bowl of soy sauce. "She actually seemed pleased that you would be coming with me – once she got over the fact that I wasn't going to bend to her timetable and do it tomorrow like she wanted."

"And she, uhm-" JJ cleared her throat "-she's okay with the fact that we're, ahm…"

Emily laughed. "You are just so freaking adorable sometimes, Jayj. Yes, she knows that you are my girlfriend. God, I feel like such a teenager when I say that," she noted absently. "She found out I was gay when I was in college, so the fact that I'm dating a woman isn't too big of a shocker for her."

"And she's okay with it? Really?"

"It's not like it's something she can change," Emily replied with a shrug. "She just asks that I remain discrete, which I am, so there really isn't a problem. Her biggest concern is that whomever I bring home is good for me – and you are. So you have nothing to worry about."

JJ frowned thoughtfully. From the way Emily spoke of her mother, she expected the brunette's answer to be something distinctly more ominous. "Really?"

"Are you questioning whether or not you're good for me, or if she really is okay with this?" Emily asked, watching JJ out of the corner of her eye as she leaned over her plate and took a bite of Albacore.

"I hope I'm good for you," JJ answered softly, a hint of insecurity in her voice. "But I was referring more to your mother."

Emily sighed and turned to face JJ more fully. She smiled softly as she reached out to run her fingers lovingly over the blonde's brow and down the line of her jaw. "Jennifer, you are perfect for me. Please don't ever doubt that," she murmured. "And, as for the Ambassador – she'll probably start off a little brusque and standoffish, but if you just think of her as a rabid reporter, and treat her accordingly, you'll be fine. I wouldn't let you near her if I didn't think you could handle her. It'll be fine, Jen, I won't leave your side the whole night."

JJ took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

"Good." Emily grinned. "Now, can we go back to ignoring my mother's existence until Sunday? I've been quite enjoying being the center of your attention."

"Em, you've always been front and center in my mind – whether you knew it or not."

"And you call me the panty dropper," Emily chuckled, smirking as she leaned in and dropped a soft kiss to JJ's cheek. "I love you, Jennifer Jareau."

JJ blushed and looked down at her plate for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that Emily really was hers and that they were really happening. "I love you too, Em," she whispered, looking up through her lashes into Emily's playful brown eyes.

+++/+++\+++

JJ let out a soft sigh as she settled into the steaming bath Emily had drawn for them in her oversized two-person tub. She smiled to herself, looking around the otherwise empty room, as she waited for the brunette to return with whatever 'necessity' it was that she claimed to have forgotten. Her eyes drank in the understated elegance of the room, brushing over the already familiar travertine tile floor, rich cherry cabinets, and uncluttered marble vanity. The materials, much like the condominium itself, were of high quality and obviously expensive, but instead of making her feel uncomfortably by being surrounded by such extravagance, she found herself soothed by the warmth and casual elegance surrounding her.

"Comfy?" Emily asked as she eased back into the bathroom holding a bottle of wine in one hand and two empty glasses in the other.

JJ looked up at Emily and shrugged, her shoulders bobbing above the surface of the water for a moment before sinking back out of sight. "Could be better," she replied teasingly.

Emily chuckled as she sat on the edge of the sunken tub to pour a generous serving of wine into each of the glasses before setting the bottle down at the back of the tub surround near the wall where it would be out of the way enough to not accidentally knock over but close enough to reach should either of them require a refill while they were soaking. "Is there something I could do to help?" she asked as she handed JJ a glass.

JJ arched a brow suggestively as she took a sip of her wine. "Mmm, this is good," she muttered as she set the glass down on the marble surround. "However," she drawled as she turned her attention back to Emily, "yes, there is, in fact, something you could do to help." She reached out to run a finger over the tie holding the brunette's short robe closed.

Emily groaned as she watched JJ's nimble fingers deftly untie the sash keeping her covered, and was unable to keep from moaning loudly when those fingers slipped beneath the smooth fabric. "What?" she asked roughly.

JJ smiled victoriously as she eased the two halves of Emily's robe apart. "You can get in. Here. With me."

Emily licked her lips and nodded as she stood and slid her robe off of her shoulders. She smiled at the feeling of JJ's hungry gaze lazily running down her body and waved a hand at the younger woman to scoot forward. "Let me in?"

JJ shook her head, unwilling to concede her position. "There's plenty of room right here," she replied, lifting an arm out of the water to wave at the space in front of her.

Emily arched a brow in surprise at JJ's refusal, but obligingly climbed into the tub, settling herself between the blonde's legs and leaning back against the younger woman. She hummed appreciatively at the feeling of JJ's breasts pressing into her back and moaned loudly when she felt two hands slide around her waist to hold her. "Mmm, this is nice," she murmured as she leaned her head back onto JJ's shoulder.

JJ hummed her agreement as she turned her head to lay a lingering kiss to the sensitive spot below Emily's ear. She smiled into the kiss as she felt the woman in her arms shudder, and wasted no time deepening the caress, sucking hard and causing Emily to writhe against her. She loved that she knew of this little erogenous zone on the brunette's body, loved that she knew exactly how much her paying attention to this particular spot drove the profiler wild. "It is _very_ nice," she agreed, nipping gently at the spot as her hands began to wander over the brunette's body.

"Jennifer," Emily groaned as she felt her lover's hands slide up over her breasts, causing her breath to hitch in her throat and her nipples to grow hard with her rising desire.

"What do you need, baby?" JJ asked, punctuating her question by squeezing the mounds under her hands.

Emily licked her lips, amazed at how just the feeling of JJ's hands and mouth upon her body caused her to become _this_ ready, _this_ quickly. "You," she whispered softly.

JJ moaned as the silken timbre of Emily's voice sent a jolt of arousal through her. She gave the nipple under her right hand one last pinch before she slid her hand down the flat of the brunette's stomach to dip between already parted, waiting legs. She met Emily's mouth in a deep, hungry kiss as she ran her index finger back and forth through her lover's folds. "You feel so good," she murmured against Emily's lips as she traced the perimeter of the hood hiding the brunette's clit, teasing the sensitive area but never directly touching the bundle of nerves.

Emily groaned and reached back to tangle her hand in JJ's hair as the blonde's finger again circled around where she so desperately needed her. "Jennifer," she husked, her hips rolling forward in search of the contact she craved.

"Like a dream," JJ sighed as she dipped her fingers back down to tease Emily's opening.

"Fuck," Emily grunted as JJ's fingers dipped down to her opening and push into her lightly before pulling away to resume those teasing circles around her clit. "Better than a dream, baby," she gasped as JJ's fingers finally pressed against her. "So good."

JJ smiled as she felt Emily's grip on her hair tighten. "You dreamed of this?" she asked, laying a light, playful lick to the brunette's lips as she began pressing slow circles into the bundle under her fingertips. "Of me touching you like this?"

Emily bit her lip and nodded. "Yes."

JJ's smile turned wolfish as her fingers slowed. "I dreamed of this too," she murmured, raking her teeth over the column of Emily's throat in a way that she knew the brunette loved. "What did you imagine me doing? How did you imagine I'd touch you?" she asked, stopping her fingers completely as she waited for Emily's answer.

Emily whimpered, rocking her hips against JJ's hand, which the blonde stubbornly refused to move. "Baby."

"Em," JJ hummed against the brunette's neck.

"Jennifer," Emily pleaded softly, hoping her lover would take pity on her.

"Tell me," JJ cajoled gently.

"You," Emily groaned as her body overrode her hesitancy and her mouth began spilling all of her deepest held secrets, "you'd start at my breasts, like you already did," she added, wanting to make sure that the hand between her legs stayed where it was, "and then you'd slide one hand down to tease my clit."

"Mmm," JJ hummed encouragingly. "Did I touch you hard or soft? Fast or slow?"

Emily grunted. "Soft. Slow," she whispered as she allowed herself to slip into one of her favorite fantasies. "So good," she sighed as JJ's fingers began moving _exactly_ that way against her.

JJ closed her eyes and gave herself over to Emily's voice, all cognizant thought abandoned as she allowed the brunette's thoughts to become her own. She gave herself over to the sensation of Emily's soft skin gliding under her fingertips, to the sounds spilling from Emily's lips, to the feeling of Emily's body rocking, pressing, moving against her.

Emily moaned and slipped her right hand out of the water to grasp the edge of the tub as she became more and more sensitive to JJ's touch. "So good, baby," she murmured. "Faster," she urged quietly, a guttural moan rumbling in her throat as she felt JJ respond.

JJ whimpered at the sounds of Emily's cries and slipped her fingers down to gather more of the brunette's arousal, a low groan rumbling in her throat at the amount she found waiting for her. "Em," she husked.

"Christ, baby, please," Emily whimpered. "Inside, Jen," she pleaded, rocking her hips up to meet the blonde's fingers.

JJ's eyes snapped shut at the request and she wasted no time following the brunette's instructions, easily sliding her ring and middle fingers deep into hot, clinging velvet. She curled her fingers as she pulled out slowly, so slowly, making sure to massage the ribbed patch at the front of Emily's channel, wanting to feel the brunette's body jump in her arms, needing to hear the strangled cries of pleasure she knew the touch would coax from Emily's lips.

"Jayj," Emily moaned as lights exploded behind her lids and her body pulsed with desire.

"Tell me."

"Mmm. Just like that," Emily whispered, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as JJ obliged her request and began slowly pumping her fingers into her. She spread her legs wider, welcoming the invading digits deeper as she gave herself over to her lover's touch.

JJ groaned as Emily's movement allowed her to readjust herself behind the brunette so that the knobs of the older woman's spine were pressed against her center. She bit back a moan as she rocked her hips, massaging her clit against the brunette's back in time with each of her slow, steady thrusts. "Fuck, Em," she grunted as she felt her lover's walls begin to grow tighter around her fingers.

"Please, Jennifer," Emily whimpered, her hips rocking madly against JJ's hand. "Please make me come."

JJ licked her lips and pushed as deep into Emily as she could, leaving her fingers sheathed as she began rolling the heel of her hand against the brunette's clit. "Mmm, that's it," she murmured encouragingly as she felt Emily arch into her hands. "You feel so good, Em," she breathed as she began laying hot, heavy kisses to the sensitive hollow beneath Emily's ear.

Emily groaned as the movement of her hips sped until, with one last, frantic rock, her entire body tensed, the coiled energy low in her hips snapping, coursing through her in waves of euphoric bliss.

JJ moaned at the feeling of Emily's walls clamping down around her fingers and found herself falling over the edge after her lover, their releases flowing through them in soothing waves as they gasped and moaned together, their breaths a ragged harmony as they came down from their high.

"Holy fuck," Emily groaned as she relaxed her grip on the tub and moved her hand back under the water to cover JJ's, which was still pressed so intimately against her. "Christ, Jen."

JJ smiled and nodded. "I know."

"Did you…"

"Mmm," JJ hummed, dropping a slow, lingering kiss to the brunette's shoulder. "I did."

"Good," Emily murmured.

"Very good," JJ agreed, playfully raking her teeth over the curve of Emily's shoulder.

Emily smiled and lifted JJ's hand out of the water, drawing the blonde's fingers up to her mouth where she cleaned them with slow, decadent licks before she turned around to face her lover. She leaned in, resting her hands on the edge of the tub on either side of JJ's shoulders as she dipped her head to claim the younger woman's lips in a slow, deep, languid kiss. "I love you," she said softly as she pulled away.

"I love you," JJ whispered, reaching up out of the water to tangle her fingers in dark silk and pull her hovering lover back down to her.

"You are so much better than my fantasies," Emily murmured between kisses.

JJ smiled. "As you are to mine," she said softly, her right hand massaging the nape of Emily's neck while her left stroked up and down the brunette's back. She smiled as she watched a light blush tint Emily's cheeks.

"You fantasized about me?"

"I did."

"Really?"

JJ shook her head. "Yes, really. Quite often. And not just sexually," she felt compelled to add, seeing this as the moment she'd been waiting for to address the events of a week ago. "I know we've managed to artfully avoid the topic of your confabulation, but I want you to know that everything you thought was real at the time, I'd dreamed of sharing with you. I wasn't just being nice when I told you that I thought you would be good with kids after Carrie; I just left out the fact that I would like for those kids to be ours. Emily, when you referred to me as your wife… when you mentioned our kids…" her voice trailed off.

Emily tilted her head to the side and waited for JJ to find whatever words she needed.

"I want that," JJ whispered. "I've wanted that for so, so long now that I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't. So, please, just know that if you've thought of it, or dreamed about it, or fantasized about it, odds are I have too."

Emily smiled and her eyes filled with tears as she pressed in to kiss JJ softly, slowly, tenderly. Not realizing until that moment how much she had needed to hear those words. "You are amazing," she husked as she pulled back.

JJ tightened her hold on Emily's neck and drew their lips together. "_You_ are amazing," she murmured.

"God I love you," Emily breathed.

JJ smiled and kissed Emily again. "I love you. Now, kiss me."

Emily chuckled. "Yes, ma'am," she drawled with a smirk as she leaned in and covered JJ's lips with her own, knowing from the way the blonde arched into her that the night was anything but finished.


	23. Chapter 23

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**CHAPTER  
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**23**

Saturday afternoon found JJ standing in her own bedroom, her brow furrowed in concentration as she studied her reflection in the mirror, her eyes focused on the fit of her dress, analyzing the way the shimmering cerulean blue fabric molded to her curves, questioning whether the cut of the neckline revealed too much cleavage… or not enough. The bed behind her was covered in her castoffs, outfits that she had tried on and deemed either entirely too casual for the date, or else just wrong. The rational part of her brain realized that she was being silly, that though this was her first _real_ date with Emily they were far from strangers, but the profiler's words from earlier, telling her that she wanted to 'do this right' and therefore 'needed' to pick her up at her house for the date, had her on edge.

"Damn you for making me nervous, Emily Prentiss," she muttered under her breath as she smoothed her hands over her hips. She licked her lips and nodded as she decided that _this_ was the dress. A glance at the clock told her that she'd made a good decision – Emily was due back to pick her up in about fifteen minutes.

She turned away from the mirror, purposefully not looking at the mess she'd made, and crossed the room to her closet. She stood on her tiptoes to pull the box containing the heels that went with the dress off of the top shelf, and hooked the pair onto the ring and middle fingers of her left hand so she could slide the box back into place with her right. A hand braced on the doorframe helped her keep her balance as she slipped the shoes onto her feet, before she pulled the dress' matching wrap off of its hanger to take downstairs. The weather outside was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and highs in the mid 60s with no wind to speak of, but if they were to be outside after dark later she knew she'd need something to help her keep warm.

Another glance at the clock showed her that she still had eleven minutes until Emily arrived.

"Dammit," she growled at the otherwise empty room. "Now what am I supposed to do to keep from going crazy?"

Little did she realize that Emily was already parked in her driveway, fighting a similar battle with her nerves as she tried to keep from running up to the blonde's front door. "God, another ten minutes?" she groaned as she glanced at the clock on the car's radio. And then her watch, to see if the radio time was correct, and then her cell just to make sure that the other two timepieces weren't mistaken.

They weren't.

"Dammit," she muttered as she tossed her cell into one of the cup holders in the center console. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the head-rest, silently willing time to pass more quickly until she could go retrieve JJ without being too early.

Contrary to her, and JJ's, wishes, time did not fly but rather crawled forward, leaving each of them to suffer in their self-imposed solitude until finally Emily gave up on waiting, pulled her keys from the ignition and reached for the handle to open her car door. "Fuck it," she muttered under her breath. "Five minutes isn't too early," she declared as she grabbed the bouquet of flowers she'd stopped to pick up on the way over to JJ's house up off of the passenger's seat and climbed out of her SUV.

She ran her free hand over the thighs of her slacks, smoothing away any creases or wrinkles that may have developed during her drive back out to the blonde's house, and made her way up the short walk to the front door. She glanced at her watch one last time, more out of habit than anything else, before raising a hand to level three rapid knocks to the door. She smiled at just the thought of seeing JJ again as she took a small step back, long engrained rules of propriety dictating that she not be standing on top of the door once it was opened, to wait for her date.

JJ, who had been pacing back and forth across the narrow runner that lined the foyer, jumped at the sound of Emily's knock. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at herself as she turned to the door, her heart skipping a beat in anticipation of the prospect of finally seeing the brunette again. They'd only been apart for a few short hours, but she found herself positively giddy knowing that their separation was over. She smoothed her hands over her dress one last time, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before she reached out to open the door and greet her guest.

Emily's expectant smile disappeared once the door was finally opened, only a few seconds after she'd knocked, because her jaw fell open in awe. JJ was stunning. No, strike that. Gorgeous. No, that wasn't right either. The blonde was beyond stunning, she was the most exquisite sight Emily had ever been blessed to lay eyes on.

JJ smiled under the brunette's gaze, pleased by the reaction her appearance garnered. _I knew this was the dress_, she thought to herself as she watched Emily's eyes slide so incredibly slowly over her body. "Hello," she murmured, her quiet greeting serving to break the spell that had befallen the brunette.

Emily blinked and smiled sheepishly, a light blush tinting her cheeks as she realized that she'd been caught staring. "I'm sorry," she apologized automatically. "You're just… wow, Jennifer," she murmured, licking her lips as she let her eyes rake up and down the blonde's body.

"Thank you. You're looking beautiful as well," JJ replied, letting her eyes drink in the sight of her date, dressed perfectly in tailored black slacks and a fitted crimson blouse. "Are those for me?" she asked, motioning with a nod of her head at the gorgeous bouquet of tulips in the profiler's hand.

"Yes," Emily answered automatically as she held the tulips out for JJ. She cringed internally at her bumbling awkwardness, but her mind had yet to catch up to her body's reaction to JJ in that dress. "I thought tulips would be appropriate," she explained as she laid the two dozen red tulips in the younger woman's outstretched hands.

"They're beautiful," JJ assured her as she lifted the flowers to her nose to smell them. "And I love you too," she said, referring to the meaning of this particular flower which she'd learned from the last bouquet the brunette had given her. She took a small step forward to kiss Emily softly, before pulling away with a smile. "Let me just put them in water?"

"Of course," Emily replied genially. "Should I wait out here?"

JJ smiled and tilted her head toward the foyer. "Nonsense. Come on in. I'll just be a minute," she said as she turned from the door and made her way down the short hall to the kitchen. "So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" she asked over her shoulder as she laid the bouquet on the counter next to the sink.

Emily leaned against the edge of the counter as she watched the blonde lift herself up onto her toes to pull a vase out of the cupboard above the refrigerator. "Nope. It's a surprise."

JJ laughed softly. "Can't blame a girl for trying," she retorted as she set the vase down in the sink and turned on the water. She opened the junk drawer on the far end of the counter and pulled out a pair of pruning shears.

"You won't need those." Emily interrupted JJ's progress. "The florist trimmed them when I picked them up, they'll be fine to just put in the water."

JJ bit her lip and nodded, setting the shears down on the counter and hurrying back to the sink to turn off the water flowing out of the tap. She lifted the vase out of the basin and set it down on the small butcher block island in the center of the room before turning back to retrieve the flowers. She set them in the water and fiddled with the stalks, doing her best to make the arrangement look its best before she turned to find Emily watching her.

"What?" JJ asked.

Emily smiled and shook her head. "You are absolutely stunning."

JJ blushed and looked down at her shoes for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet the brunette's gaze. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emily murmured. "So, ready to go?"

JJ nodded. "Yes. Just let me grab my wrap and lock up."

Emily followed JJ back down the hall to the foyer and chivalrously held the blonde's wrap aloft for her to slip in to. "M'lady," she teased, beating JJ to the punch of calling her a gentleman.

JJ grinned and leaned in to kiss Emily softly. "You're adorable," she whispered as she pulled away, taking the wrap into her hand. "But it's warm enough out that I don't need this just yet."

"Of course. Well, then, shall we?" Emily asked, opening the front door for JJ to exit before her.

JJ nodded and slipped past the brunette, stopping to the side of the door on the porch as she waited for Emily to exit as well. She felt the profiler's keen gaze running up and down her body as she locked up, and when she turned to face her, Emily's eyes were locked onto her own. She licked her lips at the heat she found in that gaze and reached out to take the brunette's hand into her own. "So, one little hint?" she asked.

"You're cute," Emily chuckled. "But the answer is still no."

"I'm so much more than cute," JJ retorted playfully as she allowed Emily to lead her down the path to the driveway.

Emily turned to look at the smiling blonde and nodded. "You're right. There are no words to adequately describe exactly how beautiful you are, Jennifer. Tonight, and every day," she said seriously as she opened the passenger side door to her car for JJ. She waited until the blushing blonde was situated in her seat before she gave her a soft smile and closed the door.

JJ was turned toward the driver's seat when Emily climbed into the car, and she wasted no time reaching out to wrap her hand around the back of the brunette's neck to pull the older woman in for a deep, unmistakably serious kiss. She licked her lips and sighed as the need for air forced them to separate. She openly appraised her flushed lover with a grin as she settled back into her seat. "Panty dropper."

+++/+++\+++

JJ looked out the window at the rolling hills that were typical for northern Virginia and tried to figure out what, exactly, Emily had up her sleeve. She'd long since given up trying to pry the information out of the brunette, but their conversation did not suffer for it in the least – they talked about anything and everything and, when words failed to find them, they sat together, hands intertwined, in comfortable silence.

"We're almost there," Emily announced, squeezing JJ's hand gently.

JJ squinted her eyes behind her sunglasses as she studied the landscape more carefully. It was green, and beautiful, but so far as she could tell they were in the middle of nowhere. "We are?" she asked, her tone giving away her disbelief.

Emily grinned. "We are."

"Where are we?"

"Loudon County."

"Yeah," JJ chuckled. "That didn't really help, Em."

"I know," Emily retorted, lifting their joined hands to her lips so she could lay a soft kiss to the blonde's knuckles. She brushed her lips back and forth over the soft skin covering the back of JJ's hand, pressing one last lingering kiss to it before letting their joined hands fall back down between them.

JJ's eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of Emily's lips on her skin and she only forced them open when she felt the car begin to slow. She looked eagerly out the window, trying to find anything that would hint at where they were at, but the narrow gravel drive bore no such identifiers.

Emily smiled to herself as she drove, carefully watching both the road and JJ's reactions next to her. She'd struggled with ideas for their date, and she was a little nervous as to whether or not JJ would actually like what she'd decided on. "Almost there. Look out your window and you'll see it," she instructed as they crested the top of the drive.

JJ did as instructed and felt her jaw drop at the absolutely gorgeous Federal style mansion that anchored the large, sweeping drive. "Where are we?" she asked as she took in the sprawling red-brick building with its white trim and traditional black shutters.

Deciding that the time for subterfuge was past, Emily answered, "Stone Creek Winery."

"Well, it certainly is beautiful here," JJ observed.

"It is that," Emily agreed as she confidently drove past the house and around the side to where the tuck-under garage was hidden. "It is also the official opening of the vineyard for the season, which Charlie always starts off with a bang," she explained as she pulled to a stop next to a glistening silver Maybach 62S.

"Wow," JJ breathed as she ogled the sedan.

Emily chuckled and nodded. "Nice, huh?" she asked as she climbed out of the car and hurried around to open JJ's door for her.

JJ smiled at Emily, even taking the brunette's proffered hand as she slid out of the expensive SUV that looked like an old, beat-up Chevy next to the luxury sedan. She adjusted her grip on Emily's hand so that she was able to twine their fingers together as she leaned forward to look at the interior of the car through the driver's side window. "Damn," she murmured.

Emily silently nodded her agreement as she watched JJ ogle the car. It was nice, if not supremely ostentatious. She just couldn't fathom actually spending over four hundred thousand dollars on a car, but Charlie always had been more showy than her when it came to their vehicles. She gave JJ a few minutes to drool over the car before she gave the blonde's hand a gentle tug. "Ready to go?"

JJ looked up and nodded, her eyes a little wide with shock. "Where are we, Emily?"

"My friend Charlie's vineyard," Emily answered breezily, her tone even and relaxed, as if everybody had a friend who owns a vineyard.

JJ turned to look at Emily as they walked hand-in-hand down a winding brick path. "And how did you meet Charlie?"

"We were diplomatic brats together," Emily replied with a smile as she remembered some of the trouble they'd gotten into as children. "We'd run into each other every now and again when our parents were posted in neighboring countries growing up, and we just kind of stayed in touch over the years."

JJ frowned as she was suddenly hit with a pang of jealousy. "I see."

Emily laughed and pulled JJ in closer, releasing the blonde's hand to wrap her arm around the younger woman's shoulders. "Not like that, Jennifer," she chided playfully. "He's even gayer than I am."

JJ let out a bark of laughter at the profiler's words and clapped a hand over her mouth to quiet the outburst. "Okay, sorry. Was so not expecting that."

Emily grinned and kissed JJ's forehead affectionately. "I know, love. But he is. I think that's one of the reasons we've stayed in touch – it's one thing to grow up the only child of over-worked, distant diplomats; it's quite another to grow up that way knowing that you are also inherently different from everybody else. The seclusion that we felt only grew as we got older, and we turned to each other to work our way through coming to terms with who we were."

JJ wrapped her right arm around Emily's waist and leaned into her. "I'm glad you had somebody like that to talk to. I look forward to meeting him."

"I think you'll really like him. He's going to absolutely love you," Emily shared as they rounded the back corner of the house and the path spilled onto a large, terraced patio.

"Wow," JJ breathed, her step faltering as she took in the sight before them. The aged brick path bled into a matching patio that was broken up into different tiers, each littered with large, circular wooden tables that were surrounded by a bevy of chairs. Though it was still daylight, she could tell that the area would be lit to perfection at night by the candles on the tables and the lights that were strung around the perimeter. She had no doubt that in a few hours the area would be warm, intimate, and absolutely breathtaking.

"Yeah," Emily agreed as she watched JJ take it all in. The carefully manicured hedges lining each level of the patio provided a perfect visual barrier from one area to the next, and down the hill she saw the large wooden dance-floor that had become a staple at these kickoff parties. She couldn't wait for the sun to set so she could take JJ out onto the dance-floor and dance with her under the stars.

"Bitch!" A playful voice rang out from behind them, interrupting their moment of quiet introspection.

Emily turned with a grin to find her old friend standing at the edge of the patio, hands on his hips, wearing a giant shit-eating grin. "Whore," she laughed as she released her hold on JJ so she could embrace him warmly. "How are you Charlie? Thanks for adding us in at the last minute."

JJ couldn't help but smile as she watched Emily interact with her friend. He was certainly flamboyant, there was no doubt that he was _'even _gayer' than Emily, she had to give him that, but he wore it well. His dirty blonde hair was short, styled loosely in a way that was meant to look careless but that most likely took quite a while to achieve, his smile was large and welcoming, and his clothes were obviously designer but without the flash of names or logos to give anything away. Based on her first impression of his appearance coupled with Emily's obvious affection for the man, she found herself instantly at ease around him. And, as she watched the two friends embrace again and rock back and forth happily, she had to admit that she found herself already liking the man. It was hard to _dislike_ anyone who could make Emily smile like that.

"Not as well as you," Charlie replied as he looked at JJ. "My lord, Em, she is stunning!"

"And she is standing right there," she retorted in a mock whisper as she elbowed him in the ribs. "Put your manners on and treat her like the lady she is."

"Or what?" he teased, setting his hands on his hips defiantly as he arched a brow challengingly at the profiler.

"I'll kick your ass like the lady I'm not," Emily retorted as she turned back to JJ with a smile. "Jen, I'd like you to meet Charlie Stone."

JJ laughed as she reached for the man's outstretched hand. "Jennifer Jareau, pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," he answered warmly, giving her a playful wink as he shook her hand. "So, what do you think?" he asked, waving a hand at the patio.

"It's gorgeous," JJ answered honestly.

"Where is everybody?" Emily asked, stealing a glance at her watch.

Charlie glanced at his own watch. "They should be here in about an hour and a half or so."

"So why did you tell me to come out now?" Emily asked.

"Because you've skipped out on the last two years worth of openings and I missed you," he answered in a sickly sweet voice. "My wittle Emmykins," he cooed, reaching out as if he were going to pinch her cheek.

"Watch it, you." Emily laughed as she batted his hand away. "And I told you, the last couple of years I'd been working."

"Yes," Charlie sighed rather dramatically. "Working. Like the grown-up you swore you'd never become."

"I was ten when I said that," Emily argued.

"And such a little spit-fire." He winked.

"Really?" JJ laughed, arching a playful brow at her lover. "I think I need to hear some of these stories."

Charlie grinned and reached out to pull JJ away from his friend. "Honey, the stories I could tell you," he drawled, wrapping a familiar arm around the blonde's thin shoulders and turning them toward the cellar, "would blow your ever-loving mind. Why don't I give you a tour of the property while I share?"

JJ looked over her shoulder at Emily who was laughing softly and shaking her head. "Em?"

"I'll be right behind you." Emily waved the two blondes on. "Just, please remember that our dear Charlie here makes a living telling stories – not everything he says is true."

"Ah, but you've fast become a fan favorite, my dear," Charlie retorted.

JJ shook her head and laughed. "I'm missing something, I think."

Emily sighed and nodded. "Charlie's an author, he publishes under the pen name of Mitch O'Conner."

JJ stopped to look at the man beside her. "The Erin Halsted series?"

"Ach, be still my heart," Charlie cried theatrically. "Another fan!"

JJ looked from Charlie to Emily, who was now flushed scarlet. "You based the heroine off of Emily?"

"I did," he answered, giving JJ a playful wink. "A little tweak here and there, a fake name, and . v_oilà_! She lives on in infamy!"

"You're killing me," Emily growled with a roll of her eyes. "Just shut up and tell her about the time we got caught trying to toilet paper the embassy."

"That _is _a good one," Charlie agreed as he pulled JJ into step beside him. "We were eight, my father was the Ambassador to Germany and Emily's mother was stationed in Belgium. Anywho, there was some big diplomatic shindig that we quite easily snuck out of because our parents were too busy schmoozing with the European leaders to pay attention to us, and we ended up running wildly around Brussels as our protective details tried to keep up with us."

"That was a fun night," Emily said as she followed Charlie and JJ down into the cellar that she knew was used to age the wines.

"It was," Charlie agreed.

"And how did this end up with you getting caught toilet-papering the embassy?" JJ asked with a laugh as she looked over the rows of wine barrels that were lined up across the space, four high, on wooden shelves.

Charlie looked over his shoulder at Emily. "Do you want to tell her?"

Emily shook her head. "How about you give her back to me and I'll let you share?"

Charlie grinned and nodded, leaning in to drop a quick kiss to a surprised JJ's cheek. "Deal."

JJ blushed at the unexpected kiss and returned to Emily's side, relaxing into the brunette's side as a protective arm was wrapped around her waist.

"Oooh!" Charlie cried excitedly as he looked around the room. "I tried something new with the Pinot this year, you gotta try it," he announced as he took off down between two rows of casks. "Stay right there, I'll be right back with a bottle."

Emily laughed and took advantage of the moment to pull JJ into a light hug. "And that's why we called him 'shiny' as kids," she chuckled. "He is a walking, talking, billboard for ADD."

"I see that." JJ grinned.

"I love you," Emily murmured, tipping her head to kiss the blonde softly.

"I love you," JJ whispered adoringly.

"I am sorry for this, he told me that the party started at four," Emily apologized.

JJ wrapped her arms around Emily's neck. "Don't be silly. This isn't quite what I was expecting, but I'm having a good time. You were right, by the way."

"I usually am." Emily smirked. "But about what, exactly."

"I do like him," JJ shared.

"Of course you do. The little bastard just has this way of making everybody love him. He's developed it into something of an art-form."

"Developed what into an art-form?" Charlie asked as he returned to the front of the room where he'd left the two women.

"Sucking up and making people like you," Emily shared as she pressed a kiss to JJ's brow before pulling away and taking the blonde's hand in her own.

"Pish-tosh," Charlie retorted in an affected tone. "You're just jealous. Now, let's go this way," he hiked a thumb over his shoulder toward a different row of wine barrels than he'd disappeared down moments before, "and I can give you the nickel tour on the way to the tasting room. Once you've seen one wine barrel you've seen them all, and I really want to know what you think of this new vintage."


	24. Chapter 24

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**CHAPTER  
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**24**

JJ had never been wine tasting before and she had to admit that it was an experience she would love to repeat. She found the process absolutely enthralling and, as Charlie was a natural storyteller, the little sidebars he threw in were equally amusing. It became blatantly obvious after the first glass that she didn't know a whole lot about wine beyond the fact that she liked it, and Charlie took it upon himself to teach her the differences between the different types of wines and the grapes used to produce them.

"That's it, she's a natural," Charlie announced with a grin as he set the bottle of Cabernet he had been holding down onto the bar.

Emily smiled and nodded, reaching out with her right arm to pull JJ in closer. "She's perfect."

JJ blushed and turned to hide her face in the crook of Emily's neck and laughed as she heard Charlie drawl, "Oh, knock it off you annoyingly cutesy couple you."

"You're just jealous," Emily retorted, holding his eye as she pressed her lips to the crown of JJ's head.

Charlie shook his head. "I'm happy for you," he answered genuinely. "Really, Em. I was getting worried about you."

Emily shrugged. "I had my work. I was content," she argued as she felt JJ pull back.

"Yes, but now you're happy," Charlie pointed out. "And, speaking of work, I was trying to be polite and everything – but what the hell happened to your face?"

Emily shrugged. "An unsub hit me with a two-by-four."

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Charlie winced as he motioned her closer so he could have a better look. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," JJ answered as she reached up to run a soft hand over the delicate yellow and green bruise tinting Emily's cheek.

"Good thing you've always been a hardheaded little bastard. Did you at least shoot him?"

"No," Emily scoffed.

"She was unconscious," JJ explained. "Had she been conscious after that hit, I'm willing to bet that she would have seriously considered it. Morgan did make sure to get a few extra little jabs in on him though – all in the name of apprehending him, of course."

"Good," Charlie muttered as the phone in his pocket beeped.

"What's that?" Emily asked.

"Alarm to tell me to get my ass outside and ready to host this shindig."

"We'll see you out there?" Emily asked as she set her glass down on the bar and gathered JJ's hand in her own.

"Hopefully," Charlie answered distractedly as he took their dirty glasses and tucked them into a crate under the bar to be washed later. "You two get going – the most private table is on the edge of the lowest tier. It's tucked off the corner of the dance floor in a little grotto of trees. I made sure to stick a card with your name on it so that nobody else would take it."

"Thanks Chuck." Emily grinned.

"No problem, Peppermint Patty," he laughed. "Now, you two girls go have fun. I have some schmoozing to do."

Emily tipped her head in thanks and lead JJ out of the tasting room back onto the large patio. She smiled as she felt JJ's hand slip around her arm as they started down the stone steps, feeling every bit the gentleman JJ always teased her of being.

JJ sighed contentedly as she held onto Emily's arm, her eyes taking in the beauty of the scenery surrounding them and the soft jazz music that was being played by the seven-piece band up on a small stage at the end of the dance floor. The hanging lights had been lit in deference to the impending twilight and the multiple wick candles on each of the tables were now all aglow, giving the outdoor space warmth and intimacy.

"Now this," Emily declared as she selected a table next to the dance floor and pulled out a chair that was directly under one of the many outdoor heaters that dotted the area for JJ, "is more of what I had in mind for the evening."

JJ smiled demurely and smoothed her dress down over the back of her thighs as she sat down in the chair Emily was holding for her. "It's beautiful. Didn't you enjoy seeing your friend?"

"I did," Emily answered softly as she pulled a chair over so she could sit next to JJ instead of across from her. "But I didn't choose this as our first date so I could catch up with old friends, I chose it because…" her voice trailed off as she tried to find the words to explain her thinking.

JJ smiled and reached out to place her hand on Emily's thigh, giving the brunette time to formulate her thoughts.

Emily turned to face JJ, placing her hand on top of the blonde's that was on her leg and squeezing it gently. "I wanted our first date to be something special. Romantic, intimate, yet simple. Nothing too fancy, certainly nothing ostentatious; just something that we could do that would allow us to enjoy each other's company. Then I remembered the opening for the winery was coming around and I thought – perfect. Good wine, good food, good music, and some dancing all under the stars."

JJ bit her lip and leaned in to kiss Emily softly. "It is perfect," she murmured between kisses that were slow and languid, and full of love and affection.

Emily gave herself over to the touch, reaching up with her right hand to cradle JJ's face in her palm, holding the blonde to her as they kissed. A low moan spilled from her lips when she felt JJ pull away and she opened her eyes to find warm, loving blue ones looking back at her. "I love you," she whispered, her eyes darting over JJ's face, watching the way the younger woman reacted to her words.

JJ smiled and looked down at their still joined hands for a moment before looking back up at Emily through her eyelashes. "I love you too, Emily Prentiss."

Emily lifted their hands to her lips so she could kiss the back of JJ's knuckles. "Have you enjoyed yourself so far?"

"I have," JJ murmured as she leaned back in her seat. "And, you even managed to score a couple cases of wine out of the deal."

Emily laughed and nodded. She had to admit that it was pretty nice of Charlie to give her not just a couple bottles of each of their favorite wines from their private tasting, but a case of each; the back of her SUV was packed full. "I'm probably going to have to call Morgan over to get them up to my condo," she mused thoughtfully.

"Just don't give him any of the Cabernet as payment," JJ warned. "I really liked that one."

Emily tipped her head and smiled. "As you wish."

JJ shook her head and chuckled as she looked around them at the people, obviously extremely wealthy people, who were beginning to filter in. "So, who all will be here tonight?"

Emily pursed her lips and shrugged as she turned in her seat to see who had arrived already. "In the past it was kind of a different group every year, with a few commonalities. That guy there," she pointed and waved at an older gentleman, "is Charlie's literary agent. I want to say his name is Thomas Douglas, but I'm not entirely certain. So far, I don't recognize anybody else who's here. Normally the only person I really knew at these things was Charlie," she said with a shrug as she turned back around.

"He seemed pleased that you brought me here," JJ observed quietly.

"That would be because he was," Emily shared as she scooted her chair over until it was right next to JJ's and she was able to wrap her arm around the back of the blonde's shoulders. "I've never brought anyone to one of these things. I want to say the last actual girlfriend of mine that he had met was when I was in college. He was always worried about me being alone but I put all my energy into my work, to try and get to where I am now at the BAU, and then I met you…" her voice trailed off into a sigh as she pulled JJ in closer. "I met you and I had no interest in ever finding anyone else. Even if we had never gotten together, I was more than content in my life to just have you as my friend."

JJ smiled and turned to press a soft kiss to the line of Emily's jaw, slowly working her way toward the brunette's lips which she met in another kiss that was tender and sweet and full of affection; letting her actions convey her thoughts on what the brunette had just shared rather than detracting from the moment with words that she was certain would be woefully inadequate.

+++/+++\+++

After dinner the band, which had been playing soft jazz-type numbers throughout the meal, came alive, the music spilling from their instruments becoming louder and more lively as twilight turned into night and some of the guests made their way out to the dance floor.

JJ looked around with something akin to pure wonder on her face as she took in the almost magical atmosphere that the hanging lights strung around the space and the small white Christmas lights that were wrapped around each branch of every tree that surrounded the patio created. The tables were aglow in warm, golden candlelight, giving each table that sense of intimacy that Emily had admitted to wanting.

Emily openly watched JJ as the blonde took her time observing their surroundings, now so very different from when they had arrived a few short hours ago. She smiled when JJ's eyes landed on hers and held out her hand as she stood. "Would you like to dance?"

JJ licked her lips and nodded as she reached for Emily's outstretched hand. "I should warn you," she said softly as she stood, waving her other hand at the couples on the dance floor that were spinning and twirling and looking as if they were contestants on that celebrity dancing show on television. "That I don't really know how to dance like that."

Emily smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Jennifer. Just follow my lead."

JJ turned her head to look at Emily as the brunette led them out onto the floor, her keen gaze busy scanning for an opening large enough for them to dance in. "You know how to dance like that?"

Emily nodded as she spun JJ into her arms. "You sound so surprised, Agent Jareau," she teased as she began leading them in a simple box step, surreptitiously gauging how well JJ followed her lead to see how fancy she should try and get.

JJ grinned. "Well, you know, you do tend to get hurt a lot. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence in your footwork."

Emily laughed and eased them into a simple turn as she felt JJ become more relaxed in her arms. "I get hit in the head a lot. That has nothing to do with my footwork," she corrected as she tightened her hold on JJ's hip and pulled her in a little closer.

"Well, that certainly must be true then," JJ admitted as Emily led her easily around the dance floor. "Because, my god Em, I know I can't dance like this on my own."

Emily smiled and dipped her head down to kiss JJ softly. "It's a simple waltz, Jen. Nothing fancy. And you move beautifully, don't ever doubt that," she murmured as she pulled away.

JJ blushed and nodded her thanks as Emily led them into another series of turns and spins that took them back across the floor toward where they started. The song ended and was replaced with one that was even faster, heavy on the horns, and distinctly Big Band.

"You know how to swing?" Emily asked with an excited smile.

JJ bit her lip and shook her head, hating herself for not knowing how because Emily looked so adorable in that moment. "Sorry."

Emily, however, was undeterred. "No problem," she said as she backed away, and adjusted her hold on the blonde. "Follow me," she instructed, looking down at her feet. "Quick, quick," she said as she stepped back with her left foot, rocking her weight on the ball of her foot for the briefest of moments before adjusting her weight to her right. "Slow, slow," she murmured as she shifted her left foot up to the side, balancing her weight there for a second before rolling back onto her right.

JJ nodded and mirrored the brunette's actions. "Like this?"

Emily nodded, a wide, happy smile on her face. "Exactly. Now, with me," she said as she took JJ's right hand into her left and wrapped her right hand around the blonde's waist. "Quick, quick, slow… slow; quick, quick, slow… slow. You got it."

JJ blushed and kept her focus on their feet as she tried to keep up. By the bouncing bodies around them, she knew that Emily had slowed the steps down considerably for her; but, for the life of her, she couldn't imagine ever being able to dance like _that_.

"You're doing great, Jayj," Emily encouraged as she watched JJ become more comfortable with the repetition. "Want to try a spin?" she asked, smiling when wide blue eyes looked up at her.

"Spin?"

"Yes, Jareau. A spin. On the next 'slow', I'm going to guide you through a simple spin. Just one time around and then we'll fall right back into this step. Ready?"

JJ bit her lip and nodded. "Okay."

"Excellent." Emily grinned. "Here we go: quick, quick, slow, spin, and you're back in my arms where you belong. Perfect."

JJ blushed, but appreciated the praise nonetheless. "Thank you. I had an excellent teacher."

"You did, huh?" Emily murmured as she kept them in place, moving with the simple four-part step.

"I did." JJ smiled, feeling herself relax at Emily's teasing. "You'd like her a lot, I think. She's incredibly smart, funny, and so beautiful that sometimes it just takes my breath away."

"And you say I'm the panty dropper," Emily whispered as she stopped dancing so she could pull the smiling blonde into a deep, serious kiss. "I love you," she murmured a little breathlessly when she pulled away.

"Mmm," JJ hummed happily as she rested her forehead against Emily's. "I love you."

"You ready to go?"

"If you are."

Emily nodded. "Let's go say goodbye to Charlie and get out of here," she said as she slid her left hand down JJ's arm to take the blonde's hand into her own. She led them off the dance floor to their table, holding JJ's wrap out for her to slip into so that the blonde would be warm once they left the heater warmed patio.

JJ gathered her clutch and looked back up at Emily, nodding that she was ready to go, but stopped when she saw a troupe of waiters in white shirts gracefully descending the stairs with trays full of dessert balanced easily on their hands. "Do you want to stay for dessert?" she asked Emily, knowing the brunette had a weakness for chocolate.

Emily grinned and shook her head. "I have dessert waiting for us back at my place."

"You do, do you?" JJ teased as she slipped her arm into Emily's.

"I do," Emily replied.

"Do I get to know what it is?"

"It's another surprise," Emily shared with a grin. "So… no. And, there's Charlie," she said, pointing up at her friend who was standing at the edge of the highest level of the patio watching the festivities happening below.

"You two heading out?" Charlie asked as the two women approached.

Emily nodded. "We are. Thanks again for adding us in at the last minute."

Charlie waved a hand dismissively. "It wasn't a big deal, and you know it. It was very nice to meet you, JJ."

JJ smiled and nodded. "And you."

Charlie tipped his head and smiled. "We'll have to try it again sometime," he said as he cast a mischievous glance at his old friend. "I do rent out the property for weddings, you know."

"Charlie!" Emily laughed, hitting him in the arm somewhat playfully.

Charlie rubbed his arm where Emily had hit him. "My god, Wonder Woman, watch it."

"Don't be such a queen," Emily retorted.

"Children!" JJ laughed.

"She started it," Charlie grumbled with a playful grin as he pulled Emily into a hug. "Don't be a stranger, Em," he said softly into her ear. "She's everything you said she was. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Emily murmured before she pulled away and turned back to her date. "So, Jennifer, ready?"

JJ nodded and took Emily's hand. "Thanks again, Charlie."

"The pleasure was all mine," Charlie assured her. "Next time you come out I'll tell you about the time I dared Emily to streak across the _Champs de Mars_ in Paris. It was spectacular."

"I look forward to it," JJ assured him with a laugh as she allowed Emily to pull her toward the narrow path that would lead them to their car. "Streaking, huh?" she asked once they were out of Charlie's earshot.

"I plead the fifth." Emily laughed.

"I bet that would have been a sight to behold," JJ teased affectionately.

Emily shook her head as she opened JJ's car door. "It was most likely a sight, yes, but not one that I think anyone would want to behold. And, when I said '_I plead the fifth_', I meant it. The only reason I agreed was because I'd consumed a fifth of Wild Turkey on a very empty… extremely underage stomach. And what Charlie neglected to mention was that he was running naked right alongside me."

JJ laughed and climbed into the car. "I still think it would have been a sight to behold."

"Well, Jennifer," Emily murmured as she leaned in and kissed to blonde quickly. "You're just going to have to use your imagination for that, because there is no way I'm doing that one ever again," she said as she pulled back and closed the laughing blonde's door.

"Seriously though, did you have fun?" Emily asked as she climbed into the car and settled into her seat.

JJ swallowed her laughter and nodded. "I did. Charlie is a riot. The wine was amazing, the food was absolutely delicious, and the dancing was a blast – even if I didn't know what I was doing."

Emily shook her head. "You did great, Jayj. Believe me. Nobody would have known you were a novice."

JJ blushed. "Somehow I doubt that, but thank you for the compliment."

"My pleasure," Emily replied, leaning in to kiss JJ softly.

"Dessert?" JJ asked quietly once their kiss broke.

Emily grinned rakishly as she backed away and pulled out her phone, shooting off an already prepared text before letting the handheld fall into a cup holder. "Mmm, yes. To tell you the truth, I've found myself unable to keep from thinking about it all day long."

"Is that so?" JJ asked as Emily twisted her key in the ignition, the V-8 under the hood coming to life with a quiet _roar_.

"It is," Emily assured her playfully as she backed out far enough to turn down the driveway. "And, no, I'm still not telling you what it is."

"Party-pooper," JJ grumbled huffily. "Fine, what if I guessed it?"

Emily laughed loudly and reached across the car to pat JJ's leg affectionately. "You are more than willing to try, Jennifer, but, you know, good things come to those who wait."


	25. Chapter 25

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**CHAPTER  
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**25**

Emily opened the front door and smiled at the candlelight that greeted her. At first she had been hesitant to share her plans with Garcia but, in the end, the ends justified the means because there was no way that she would have been able to set up the important parts of what was waiting for them before she left. She eased into the space, her smile widening as she heard JJ's breath hitch behind her, and dropped her keys onto the island, next to a small card that hadn't been there when she'd left earlier that afternoon. The inscription of, _Ms. Emily Prentiss, Panty-Dropper Extraordinaire_, on the front of the envelope told her all she needed to know about who it was from though and she eased it into a drawer to be read later. She'd waited all day for this moment; she wasn't going to waste it by taking time to read her friend's teasing comments. There was plenty of time for that later.

Now it was time for dessert.

She turned to find JJ stalled behind the back of the couch, her attention focused on the collection of blankets that were piled on the floor where the coffee table used to be, that portion of the room lit by the moon outside the wide open windows that overlooked the Capital and the numerous candles interspersed around it.

She retrieved a thin, rectangular box from the fridge and lifted the gold lid to make sure that Garcia had managed to pick up the right confections for her since she had been running late earlier and had been unable to pick them up herself. She nodded happily to herself as she saw exactly what she had ordered and quickly replaced the lid, hiding the contents from prying eyes, before she grabbed the stereo remote off the bar and flipped on the sound system. The remote landed back onto the granite counter with a distracted clatter as she watched JJ study the changes she'd made to the room and crossed the small space separating her from the blonde to gather the younger woman in her arms. "You okay?" she hummed softly as she wrapped her arms around JJ's waist.

JJ looked from the box in Emily's hands, to the blankets, to the sterling silver ice bucket that held an already open bottle of champagne, before she turned to meet the brunette's gaze. "Yes. What's this?"

Emily grinned. "Dessert. As promised."

JJ licked her lips and nodded, her expression adorably confused as she tried to figure out what it was that Emily was planning. "Okay," she drawled.

Emily's grin eased to a soft, loving smile as she carefully dropped the box in her hand onto the couch. The contents needed to be treated with care, but they weren't so fragile that they couldn't handle the short two-foot fall to the sofa. Both hands now free, she moved in closer, her arms crossing over JJ's stomach to cradle protruding hip bones in her palms as she pushed herself flush against the blonde's back.

"I love you," Emily purred as she nuzzled the side of JJ's neck. Much like her own, the side of JJ's neck was particularly sensitive. She smiled against the skin under her lips as she remembered an odd, completely arbitrary piece of trivia. _Right along the edge of the sternocleidomastoid._

"I love you," JJ sighed as Emily's teeth raked over sensitive flesh. "And, what was that smile for?"

Emily chuckled, tightening her hold on JJ's hips as she hid her face in the crook of the younger woman's neck. "Nothing, sweetie. Just… a random geeky thought. I'll try and contain them from now on."

"Now I really want to know wha…" JJ's voice trailed off as Emily's mouth latched onto her neck and sucked hungrily. "Fuck that feels so good."

"I know," Emily agreed softly, repeating the harsh suction one more time before soothing the reddened skin with the flat of her tongue.

"God," JJ sighed, her body going limp in Emily's arms as the brunette's mouth worked against her.

Emily smiled and nipped playfully at the skin under her mouth. "Emily is good enough," she teased as she spun JJ around to face her. "Have I told you how amazing you look in this dress?" she asked as she ran her hands up and down JJ's sides.

"You have," JJ answered breathlessly.

"Mmm." Emily nodded, an impish grin tweaking her lips as she leaned in to claim JJ's lips in a deep, lingering kiss. "Have I told you how much I want to see it on the floor?" she asked as she pulled away.

JJ moaned loudly as her nipples contracted to hard little points and every drop of moisture in her body flowed south to settle between her legs. "Now you have," she whimpered.

Emily made a small sound of contentment in her throat as she worked her hands higher over JJ's back, searching for the zipper that she knew had to be hidden there. Her right hand found the discretely placed seam and she slipped the tip of her index finger between the folds of fabric to flip up the tab. She let her eyes fill with the absolute depth of her emotion as she began pulling the zipper down slowly, so slowly that she could feel each tooth release beneath her fingertips. She had unzipped enough women in her life to know that this was an act to be cherished, that it was a gift JJ was giving her, and she was damned certain that she'd make sure the blonde knew exactly how much she cherished the opportunity.

"You are so beautiful," she murmured as the third tooth of the zipper released under her hand. "I look at you and you literally steal my breath away," she confessed in a hushed whisper as the fourth and fifth teeth popped free.

JJ moaned at the feeling of her dress becoming incrementally looser, at the stark, unflinching honesty in Emily's voice, at the unfettered desire looking at her from deep within smoldering mahogany eyes. She wanted to say something sweet in response, something that would tell the brunette that she felt the same way, that she would look at the profiler and literally feel her heart skip a beat in her chest, but Emily's reverent touch, her soft-spoken words, the look in her eyes, drove all coherent thought from her head.

Emily smiled at the way JJ surrendered to her touch. She moved the zipper lower still, releasing two more teeth, her gaze focused on JJ's perfect body as the shimmering blue sheath loosened to the point that she was able to relax her hold on the material and let it fall to the floor. Her eyes followed its path down, over smooth honeyed skin to where it puddled around the blonde's feet before it was kicked unceremoniously aside.

She licked her lips appreciatively as her gaze moved higher, over long, lean legs that she couldn't wait to run her tongue over, past dainty black lace that stretched across trim hips and up, higher still, gliding over toned, trembling abs to perfect breasts encased in sheer black lace that matched the blonde's panties. Her eyes zeroed in on already hardened nipples that begged for her lips to suckle, an unconscious mewl of need spilling from her lips as she forced her eyes higher, past plump kissable lips to focus on smoky, storm tossed blue eyes.

"Jennifer," she husked softly, her voice barely louder than a breath, wholly convinced that anything louder would cause the angel before her to disappear.

JJ leaned in and claimed Emily's lips in a slow, deep, explorative kiss as her hands set to work getting rid of Emily's slacks and shirt as well, until they were pressed together, satin and lace and heated skin meeting gloriously as arms wrapped around waists and mouths sought their mate, lips open, tongues dancing together as they stumbled around the side of the couch to the collection of blankets.

Emily lovingly helped JJ down onto the makeshift bed and smiled reassuringly before she turned from her to reach for the box she had dropped onto the sofa. Her prize in hand, she gracefully lowered herself to JJ's side, leaning across the younger woman to set it next to the champagne even as she claimed her lips in yet another caress. She slipped her hand around the blonde's side, her fingers gliding over smooth skin and textured lace, searching for and finding the clasp holding JJ's bra in place. She smiled into their next kiss, a low hum rumbling deep in her throat as she pinched JJ's bra open and guided the lace down the blonde's body until she was able to toss it aside. No longer able to contain her desires, she dipped her head down to take a pert nipple between her lips, pinching it lightly between her teeth, and lashing it with the tip of her tongue. She groaned sympathetically at JJ's cry of pleasure, and arched into her as long, slender fingers tangled themselves in her hair to hold her in place.

JJ whimpered and writhed under Emily as the brunette made love to her breast, each suck, each flick of a tongue, every single goddamn nip of teeth arcing through her in a flash of ecstasy. She moaned loudly when Emily's mouth abandoned her, her eyes flashing open to find smiling brown ones watching her carefully.

Emily smirked as she eased a finger under the waistband of JJ's panties to tease soft, golden curls for the briefest of moments before giving the restrictive lace a gentle tug.

JJ eagerly lifted her hips and even reached down with her left hand to help remove the offending article. The panties hooked around her left ankle and she gave the leg a couple of quick kicks to dislodge them. She watched the scrap of black lace go flying into the window, but couldn't find it in herself to care with the way Emily was looking at her, and she let her leg fell back to the blankets, bent outward in a silent offering.

Emily licked her lips at the sight of JJ spread naked before her. "My angel," she murmured.

JJ smiled and reached up to run two fingers down the hollow between Emily's breasts, hooking those fingers into the satin fabric of the brunette's bra and giving it a tug. "Off," she commanded.

Emily smiled and nodded, compliantly unhooking her own bra and tossing it aside before also ridding herself of her panties. "Better?"

Hungry blue eyes raked over perfect alabaster skin, pausing for a moment to drown in the heat she knew lay at the apex of Emily's thighs before traveling higher to meet laughing brown eyes challengingly. "Yes."

Emily chuckled as she leaned in to kiss JJ softly. "So, you want that dessert?"

JJ frowned in her surprise. That was certainly not what she had been expecting to come out of Emily's mouth. "You want to stop to eat?" she asked disbelievingly.

Emily bit her lip as she both nodded and shook her head in a jumble of mixed signals, her lust darkened eyes twinkling playfully. "Not necessarily," she answered vaguely as she leaned across JJ, purposefully pressing her breast into the blonde's as she reached for the gold topped box she'd set next to the champagne.

"What's that?" JJ asked curiously as she watched Emily begin to fiddle with the lid, wiggling it higher and higher until it came free. She craned her neck, trying to see inside the small box, but Emily tipped it away from her.

"Dessert," Emily answered succinctly as she withdrew a big, fat chocolate covered strawberry.

JJ looked from the strawberry in Emily's hand to the brunette's smiling lips. "There's more to this, I'm sure. Care to explain?"

Emily smiled wolfishly and nodded as she moved herself to JJ's side, so that the blonde's entire length was exposed to her. "Remember when," she began as she trailed the tip of the strawberry over JJ's already erect nipple, "you told me you liked to dip your chocolate covered strawberries in whipped cream?"

JJ moaned at the feeling of the cold, chocolate-covered fruit tracing around her nipple and nodded. "Yes."

Emily bit her lip as she moved the strawberry higher to paint JJ's lips. She chuckled and pulled the fruit away as she watched JJ's mouth open to bite into it. "Nu-uh-uh," she murmured, and received an angry glare in response. "Patience, Jennifer," she chided as she moved the strawberry back down to tease the blonde's other nipple.

"Fuck, Em," JJ grunted at the strange sensation.

"Maybe later," Emily murmured. "Now, as I was saying," she began again as she began using the point of the strawberry to draw random patterns on JJ's stomach, "you said that you like to give your chocolate covered strawberries an extra dip in whipped cream. I, however, had something else in mind that I'd like to dip this big… juicy… strawberry in..."

JJ's mouth fell open into a perfect 'O' of understanding, her left leg rolling to the side almost of its own accord.

Emily nodded. "Yes," she purred seductively as she used the berry in her hand to trace the line on JJ's body where the blonde's leg hinged.

JJ moaned as she felt the strawberry dip down onto her inner thigh, and she automatically rolled her hip outward, opening herself up further for Emily's exploration. "Yes," she whimpered as she felt the brunette guide that teasing piece of fruit over her lower lips.

Emily bit her lip, her eyes flicking up to drink in JJ's wanton, expectant expression for a moment before returning down to her hand and watching as the strawberry dipped between the blonde's folds, spreading the swollen lips wider to reveal an abundant pool of wetness. "Jayj," she breathed roughly as she gently, tenderly dipped her strawberry deeper into the wetness waiting for her.

JJ rolled her head back into the blankets, her back arching forward even as her hips rocked hard against the fruit. It wasn't as cold as it was when Emily had begun her teasing, but it was still chilled, and hard, and foreign, and new, and different, and abso-fucking-lutely amazing. "My god!" she grunted, the cry of pleasure turning into an indecipherable sound of distress once the strawberry was removed.

"Open your eyes," Emily husked as she propped herself up on her elbow, moving to where she knew JJ would be able to see her. Once she knew she had the blonde's full attention, she extended her tongue to lick the arousal coating one side of the strawberry, moaning appreciatively at the taste.

"Shit," JJ whimpered as the sound of Emily's moan caused another wave of need to course through her.

Emily grinned and opened her mouth wider, guiding the plump fruit between her lips to bite into it. She allowed her eyes to close as she chewed, savoring and committing the flavor to memory, and only opened them once she had swallowed. She held JJ's gaze captive as she leaned in and claimed her lips in a deep, hungry kiss, pushing her tongue into the willing woman's mouth, letting her taste the combination of flavors that her own desire and chocolate and strawberry created.

JJ moaned into the kiss, unabashedly rubbing her tongue over every surface she could reach inside Emily's mouth, surprised to find that she could actually taste herself in the myriad of flavors coating Emily's tongue. "My god," she groaned once Emily pulled back.

Emily winked and held the half-eaten strawberry in front of JJ's mouth. "Want a bite?" she asked, even as she guided the dripping fruit down to JJ's waiting lips. She felt her body clench as JJ's nimble tongue licked up the length of exposed flesh before she lifted her head up off the blankets to capture what was left of the fruit in her mouth.

"Delicious," JJ hummed after she'd swallowed.

"Better than whipped cream?" Emily teased as she retrieved another strawberry from the box.

JJ licked her lips and nodded, understanding what Emily's plan was and being more than willing to play along. "Pretty close."

"Wow, only 'pretty close'?" Emily murmured with an affected air of thoughtfulness. "Well, I guess I should try this again," she sighed as she ran the back of her hand that held the strawberry up the inside of JJ's leg.

JJ bit her lip to hold in the moan that was building in her chest as Emily's hand moved higher and higher. "Emily, baby," she whimpered as the brunette's touch stalled so close to where she needed her.

"Shh," Emily soothed as she slid down on the blankets, adjusting herself so that her mouth was even with JJ's breasts. She licked her lips as she leaned in closer, her tongue brushing over the rigid nub of the blonde's nipple at the exact moment she rolled her wrist to run the strawberry over JJ's clit. She smiled and leaned in to wrap her lips around JJ's nipple, letting her breath fall in hot pants over the sensitive nub as she eased her fingers down, off of JJ's clit to press the tip of the strawberry against the blonde's opening.

"Em," JJ gasped as the brunette began teasing her, lightly thrusting the strawberry in and out, stimulating the nerve endings embedded in that sensitive ring of muscle until her entire body was pulsating with need.

Emily sucked hard against the nipple between her lips as she rotated her wrist, spinning the strawberry where it was buried inside JJ. Another scream tore itself from JJ's throat and she stalled her touch, looking up at JJ to make sure that she was okay. "Jen?"

"Fuck, Em – don't stop!" JJ cried out, her eyes flashing open to focus on worried brown. "Please, baby," she whimpered imploringly. "Don't stop."

Emily smirked. "So, then, I take it you like my extra-dip better than your whipped cream?" she asked, not really wanting to tease JJ but, rather, needing to because she could feel that the chocolate on the strawberry was already melting from the blonde's body heat and she wasn't sure how good it would be to actually use the small piece of fruit on her for an extended period of time.

JJ rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes. Okay? Now, please," she groaned, lifting her hips entreatingly at her lover, a louder, deeper moan spilling from her lips as she watched Emily's lips wrap around the piece of fruit that had been inside her.

Emily moaned decadently with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she chewed. "M'kay," she hummed after she'd swallowed her bite. She tossed the stem toward the box that still held four strawberries and a handful of truffles, and leaned in to kiss JJ passionately, her tongue darting out to circle around the blonde's as she ran her fingers up the inside of the younger woman's leg until she was able to trace a hovering finger above her center.

JJ hissed as Emily's fingers began circling her clit, lightly rubbing her in slow, lazy figure eights. "Emily," she whimpered, rocking her hips up into Emily's hand, trying to force the brunette to press more firmly against her.

Emily smiled against JJ's lips, extending her tongue to lick them playfully as she pulled away. She slowed the movement of her fingers even further as she began laying a line of soft kisses down JJ's body, mercifully gliding past the blonde's breasts without detour until she was brushing her upper lip over a protruding hipbone as she eased between parted, waiting thighs. She wrapped her arms around JJ's legs, pulling the younger woman open wider, drawing her into her mouth as she dipped her head to run the flat of her tongue through her folds. She moaned loudly against JJ's sex as she dipped her tongue inside her, certain that she could actually taste strawberries and chocolate mixed in with the blonde's arousal. "Delicious," she growled as she pulled back, only to dive back in and repeat the motion, pushing her tongue as deep inside JJ as she possibly could.

JJ's body bowed, and her hands reached blindly to hold Emily's head in place as she felt the brunette's tongue curl inside her. "Em!" she screamed as she felt the brunette's tongue plunge into her again and again, rubbing, stretching, curling exquisitely inside her as strong fingers wrapped around her thighs, holding her open so that she could get as close to her as possible.

Knowing that JJ wouldn't be able to achieve her release from this touch alone, Emily plunged her tongue as deep as she could into her one last time before running her tongue up to the exposed bundle of nerves at the blonde's apex. She laid a long, heavy lick to the bud, causing it to jump under her tongue, before she pulled back to blow a steady stream of air over the point and smiled as she watched JJ writhe in front of her. A litany of barely coherent words, ranging from religious to profane, fell from the blonde's mouth as she took the bundle between her lips and began to suck against it. She varied the tempo and the force she used, purposefully driving JJ's need higher and higher, but purposefully never provided enough of a rhythm to allow her to fall.

JJ gasped for air as the heat in her belly spread outward until she was consumed by it, every nerve ending alive, begging to be touched, unable to hear even her own ragged voice crying out in pleasure over the deafening thunder that was her pulse pounding in her ears, unable to see anything beyond the kaleidoscope of colors flashing behind her eyes. And then, with a hard suck and the lash of a tongue against her, she shattered.

Emily slowed her mouth over JJ as she felt the blonde tense beneath her, lightening her touch as JJ screamed her ecstasy to the rafters. Once JJ had fallen still before her, she laid one last soft, reverent kiss to the blonde's clit before she moved higher to gaze upon her lover's face. She smiled at the glazed look in JJ's eyes, her heart melting at the faint smile that lifted the corners of those perfect lips that were parted ever so slightly as the blonde gasped for air. She wiped her face off with her hand, smearing the remnants of JJ's arousal over the blankets beneath them as she leaned in to press her lips to the blonde's forehead. "I love you," she whispered as she covered the younger woman's body with her own.

A small sound rumbled in JJ's throat, but the blonde was unable to formulate anything more articulate as she turned into Emily, soaking in the brunette's warmth and protection as she floated aimlessly on the waves of her retreating euphoria. She came back to herself slowly, drawn by the feeling of Emily's lips against her head, of the brunette's hips settled intimately between her legs. She smiled as she lifted her head to press a lazy kiss to the column of the brunette's throat before breaking the silence surrounding them with a rough, "I officially _love_ strawberries."

Emily grinned and rolled her hips into JJ. "Me too," she chuckled.

"Not as much as me," JJ argued playfully as she rolled them over so that she was now straddling Emily. She smirked at the look of surprise on the brunette's face as she leaned in to kiss her tenderly. One soft kiss became two, and it wasn't long before tongues peeked out between parted lips to tangle together playfully between them. "But we can always test out that theory," she offered as she pulled back enough to arch a brow challengingly at her lover.

Emily smiled and reached a hand up to run a finger down the line of the blonde's nose. "Jennifer," she drawled as she pressed her fingertip against the end of JJ's adorable little nose. "I will enjoy anything you wish to do to me."

JJ swallowed thickly and nodded jerkily as she licked her lips in anticipation. "Then, I guess I should get a strawberry," she mused as she leaned off to the side to grab a berry from the box.

"If you must," Emily murmured taking advantage of her position to fondle JJ's breasts.

JJ glowered at the brunette who was looking up at her with wholly unrepentant smirk plastered on her face. "My turn."

"My toys," Emily argued, giving the mounds under her hands a squeeze.

JJ laughed and batted Emily's hands away as she shifted herself over the brunette until she was able to settle comfortably between the profiler's legs. She lazily ran her eyes over the vision of Emily spread before her, completely unabashed in her nudity, comfortable enough with herself and their relationship to just lie there and wait to be touched.

And oh, how JJ wanted to touch.

She licked her lips as her gaze zeroed in on the brunette's sex, already so incredibly wet and swollen, and she couldn't help but take the berry in her hand and run it through those pink lips, coating it with Emily's arousal. She lifted her eyes to Emily's as she pressed it into the brunette tauntingly, the twinkle in her eyes quite clearly asking, _What do you think of this?_, while the moan that spilled from Emily's lips told her better than words ever could exactly how much the brunette enjoyed it. She brushed it over Emily's clit firmly; smirking at the way the brunette bucked and gasped at the touch before she lifted it to her lips to have a bite. Her eyes closed at the flavor of her lover on the fruit, much as the brunette's eyes had shut during her first taste, and when she opened them again she found ravenous brown eyes staring back at her.

"You know," she mused as she took the half-eaten strawberry in her hands and dipped it back between Emily's legs, using the hard edge her bite had left of the fruit to flick the brunette's clit lightly. "Although I like your extra-dip better than my whipped cream extra-dip, I have to admit that this is the best extra-dip ever," she rambled.

"That's very nice, sweetie. Good to know. Now…" Emily let her voice trail off as she lifted her hips beseechingly.

JJ nodded. "Just, let me finish my snack," JJ murmured as she popped what was left of the strawberry into her mouth. A low appreciative moan rumbled in her throat as she chewed and once she swallowed, she smiled at Emily and said, "Definitely orgasmic."

Emily groaned and again lifted her hips at her lover. "Speaking of orgasmic…"

JJ cocked her head to the side and grinned as she reached for the bucket holding the champagne they had still yet to enjoy. She pulled out an ice cube that was already beginning to melt and held it over Emily's body, letting the cold-water drip off the cube onto her lover's torso.

Emily hissed when the first cold drop of water landed between her breasts. "Jennifer, please, baby," she gasped. If JJ wanted to tease her with ice, so be it, just so long as the blonde's hands and mouth ended up somewhere on her body she'd take it. "Touch me."

JJ whimpered softly under her breath as she lowered the cube in her hand to Emily's right breast, running the ice over a dusky nipple and watching it grow to a taut peak. When Emily's moans began to sound more like pain than pleasure she lowered her mouth and took the nipple between her lips, sucking at it lightly.

"Fuck yes," Emily grunted at the feeling of JJ's hot mouth upon her breast, at the sensation of the blonde's warm tongue against her skin.

JJ smirked and pulled back enough to repeat the process, first the ice, then her mouth, before switching sides and delivering identical attentions to the brunette's other breast.

Emily writhed under JJ's mouth, the contradiction of sensations quite literally driving her mad with need and she couldn't contain the shaky moan that escaped her when she felt the now familiar burning cold blaze a trail down her stomach. "Please baby," she whimpered as JJ's mouth followed the path set by the ice. "God Jen, please baby," she moaned, pulling her legs open wider, begging the blonde to keep moving. "I need you."

JJ, who had been tiring of her little game anyways, moved her hand with the now nearly completely melted piece of ice she'd been playing with between Emily's legs and brushed it ever so gently against the brunette's clit.

Emily's body jerked at the almost painful sensation – almost, because while it was a shock, there was something about it that felt so, so good as well – and she relaxed almost immediately as JJ's mouth surrounded her, taking away the sting of the cold and replacing it with warmth. She tensed as she felt JJ pull back, her hands reflexively tightening in the blankets as she awaited the touch she knew would be coming. Because her eyes were screwed shut, she couldn't see JJ pop the piece of ice into her mouth, and she moaned loudly as the blonde's hot mouth surrounded her even as the cube pressed against her again. Her hips rolled back before rocking up almost violently into the touch, her body not knowing whether to pull away from the sting or push into the warmth. She tangled one hand in JJ's hair as the blonde continued to slowly tease her, her hips working against the younger woman's mouth almost frantically as her body continued to fight with itself, wanting both more and less at the same time.

The cube melted faster inside JJ's mouth as it was attached to the warmth of Emily's body and it wasn't long, though JJ could tell that it felt like forever to her lover, before it disappeared. "God I love you," she murmured, running her hands over the sides of Emily's thighs as she began lightly licking her clit.

"I… love… you," Emily groaned, her body slipping away from her as it was enveloped in the warmth of JJ's touch. "So much," she whispered as she eased her hold on JJ's hair, now aware of how hard she'd been tugging at it, and began lightly scratching her nails against the blonde's scalp in time with the tongue moving against her.

JJ smiled at the sentiment, her heart warmed by the depth of emotion in Emily's voice. She kept her touch soft, but increased the speed of her tongue flicking across the sensitive point until Emily's hips began bucking out of rhythm against her mouth. Knowing that the brunette was close, she eased one finger inside her, curling it upward to press against the hidden spot deep inside the brunette and pulling her over the edge into release. She slowed her touch, easing Emily through her orgasm and only stopped when the brunette's muscles relaxed around her.

Emily reached down and pulled against JJ's shoulders, wanting to feel the warmth, the weight, the security of her lover's body atop her own and she sighed when JJ complied. "I love you, Jennifer," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around the blonde and held her close.

JJ snuggled into Emily's embrace and smiled as she pressed her lips to the salty column of the brunette's throat. "I love you," she hummed. "Thank you for tonight," she whispered after a few moments.

Emily smiled and turned to kiss the blonde's brow softly. "My pleasure, sweetie."

They laid together in a comfortable, contented silence and only broke apart when JJ shivered. "I'm sorry," JJ apologized.

"Don't be," Emily assured her as she sat up. "Here," she said as she reached for a robe that had been folded up on the couch. "Put this on."

JJ smiled. "You really think of everything, don't you?" she asked as she slipped her arms into the fluffy white robe.

Emily ducked her head and smiled. "I try. When it comes to you, I try," she whispered as she pulled a second, identical robe off of the couch and put it on. "Can I interest you in a glass of champagne?" she asked, waving at the bucket that was now slick with condensation.

"Of course."

Emily gathered the flutes and handed them to JJ with a smile. "Hold these?" she hummed, not waiting for a response before she turned to retrieve the champagne. She carefully filled each glass about three-quarters full before gracefully returning the dark green bottle to the sterling silver bucket.

"Here you go." JJ handed Emily a glass as the brunette settled in next to her, leaning back against the couch.

"Thank you," Emily murmured, taking the glass and holding it up at JJ. "To us," she said simply.

JJ smiled and _clinked_ her glass against Emily's. "To us."


	26. Chapter 26

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**CHAPTER  
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**26**

JJ smiled as she stood at the vanity in Emily's bathroom, not even seeing her reflection in the mirror in front of her as she added the finishing touches to her makeup for their dinner with the Ambassador. The events from the night before kept replaying in her mind, the adorable blush that tinted Emily's cheeks as Charlie was sharing some of their childhood exploits, the feeling of the brunette's arms around her as they danced, the unfettered look of devotion that had filled those beautiful brown eyes while they made love. It had been a magical evening, one that had only grown more powerfully intimate once they'd ended up in bed after finishing off the chocolate treats Emily had bought and sharing some champagne. She was so lost in her thoughts, in fact, that she failed to notice when Emily came to stand in the doorway to watch her.

"What's that smile for, beautiful?" Emily asked.

JJ blushed as she cut her eyes over to Emily's reflection in the mirror as she slid the mascara wand she'd been using back into its bottle. "I was just thinking about last night," she said as she ran a quick brush through her hair, smoothing errant strands that the hairdryer had blown askew.

Emily nodded. "So, how'd I do? Was it a good first date?" she asked, genuinely curious as to the blonde's thoughts of the evening.

JJ laughed. "It was okay, I guess. Good enough that I'll let you try again."

Emily grinned in response to the playful sparkle in JJ's bright blue eyes and pushed herself off of the doorframe. "Oh, really? You'll let me try again, huh?" she teased as she moved in behind the smaller woman and wrapped her arms around her waist.

JJ giggled. "Well, you know…"

"No, I don't," Emily replied softly, enjoying their banter as she used her right hand to lift JJ's hair out of the way so she could drop a line of kisses up the length of the blonde's throat. "Why don't you tell me which part I need to work on?" she breathed against JJ's ear.

JJ moaned and leaned back into Emily, turning her head to the side and offering more of herself to be devoured. "Nothing," she breathed, relenting in the face of her increasing arousal. "It was perfect."

"_You_ are perfect," Emily murmured as she brushed her lips over the line of JJ's jaw. "Thank you for letting me take you out."

JJ laughed throatily. "Babe, believe me, the pleasure was all mine. Thank you for asking."

"Anytime, Jennifer. As often as you'll let me," Emily swore softly, her absolute sincerity ringing in her words.

"Mmm," JJ hummed, spinning around in Emily's arms so she could kiss the brunette tenderly. "So, how long do we have until we need to leave?" she asked as she draped her arms over Emily's shoulders.

Emily shrugged. "We have time still. When the Ambassador is in the city, she stays at the house in Georgetown. She likes to be close to the action, it makes her feel more involved with the comings and goings of the diplomatic world."

JJ hiked a brow, obviously impressed. "And where does she stay when she's not in town?"

Emily smiled. "Well, there's whatever ostentatious mansion assigned to the Ambassador in whatever post she's stationed, of course."

"Of course," JJ echoed.

"But if she's not here or there, she's usually at the house in Boston. Or the Vineyard," she added, almost as an afterthought.

JJ shook her head. "Must be nice," she murmured.

Emily shrugged. "It has its perks. The house in the Vineyard, for example, is one of my favorite places to visit during the summer. If we can swing a few days off once it gets warm, I'd love to take you up there."

"I'd like that," JJ whispered. "But, first I have to pass the Ambassador's inspection. So," she said, taking a regretful step away from Emily as she held her arms out to the side, "how do I look?"

Emily smiled, holding JJ's gaze captive as she answered, "Breathtaking."

"You didn't even look."

"I ogled you for quite a while before you noticed me," Emily replied. "Trust me, Jareau. You. Are. Stunning."

"I'm wearing jeans and a sweater."

"It doesn't matter," Emily retorted as she leaned in and kissed her softly.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Fine, but will your mother approve?"

Emily grinned. "Are you done in here?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go see her and find out." Emily reached out and gave JJ's hand a playful tug, stopping when she felt JJ tug back against her hand and refusing to move. "What's up?"

"Seriously, Em. Is this okay?"

Emily sighed and nodded. "You're perfect. Trust me. I'm just wearing jeans and a sweater, aren't I?"

"I guess," JJ hedged, turning back to the mirror and giving herself one last look. Her hair was good, makeup done, her clothes were clean, it was as good as it was going to get. "Okay. Let's go."

+++/+++\+++

JJ swallowed nervously as Emily pulled to a stop in the brick driveway of a sprawling Tudor mansion tucked in off Garfield Street in the middle of residential Georgetown. The façade was impeccable, the beams across the exterior painted a deep, rich brown which contrasted beautifully with the light cream of the rest of the upper half of the exterior and complemented the weathered brick that went from ground level to about where she imagined the ceiling of the first floor. The wood shingle roof was equally beautiful, which she found interesting because she had never before looked at a house's roof as having any character, but the variegated color of the shingles, from nearly white to rich and dark, gave an added dimension and character to the already magnificent house.

"You grew up here?" JJ asked, not looking at Emily as she let her eyes travel from the house itself to the immaculately landscaped grounds surrounding it.

Emily, who had been watching JJ's reaction to the house intently, nodded. "Yes. Well, when we were in DC, anyways."

"It's beautiful," JJ murmured.

Emily smiled. "You want to see the inside, or would you prefer to sit in the car all evening? I'm sure we probably have about an hour or so before the Ambassador looks out that bay window there and notices us. You wanna make out?"

JJ laughed and turned to look at Emily who was relaxed in her seat and wearing an impish grin. "While that does sound fun, I would prefer to not be found necking in your car by your mother."

"I was thinking more along the lines of tonsil hockey with generous amounts of groping, but necking works too," Emily quipped.

"Put it back in your pants, Prentiss." JJ shook her head. "And, thank you."

Emily smiled and reached out to run a soft finger down the line of JJ's jaw and across her lips. "You're welcome. Are you feeling more relaxed about all this now?"

"A little. How did you know?"

Emily shrugged. "I know you. When you get nervous about something you suck the corner of your lower lip into your mouth and kind of worry at it."

"Damn profilers," JJ grumbled playfully.

"You love it," Emily challenged.

JJ smiled and leaned across the center console, reaching out with her right hand to pull Emily to her. Thin fingers threaded themselves into soft, dark silk as she whispered, "I love you," before sealing it with a kiss that was neither chaste nor overly passionate, but just right to convey the sincerity of the emotions behind her words.

Emily smiled as she pulled back from the kiss, nuzzling JJ's cheek with her nose as she rested her forehead against the blonde's. "I love you. And, um…"

"What?"

"My mother's standing on the front porch watching us."

"Goddammit!" JJ grumbled, unable to keep from smiling as she realized that the Ambassador did, in fact, catch them kissing in the car like a couple of teenagers.

"If it's any consolation," Emily chuckled. "At least she's not wearing her _I'm so disappointed in you_ scowl." _Because this is **so** not being discreet_, she couldn't help thinking.

"Is it too late to just go home?"

"Yup, she's seen us," Emily said as she cracked open her door. "Here we go," she muttered under her breath as she climbed out of the car. She gave her mother a small wave of greeting as she quickly rounded the front of the SUV to get JJ's door for her.

"Thank you," JJ murmured as she climbed out of the car.

"My pleasure," Emily answered softly, purposefully reaching down to take JJ's hand in her own. "You'll be fine, sweetheart."

JJ took a deep breath in through her nose and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jennifer," Emily murmured as they neared the brick porch occupied by the Ambassador.

Elizabeth Prentiss smiled as she watched her daughter and JJ approach. She could tell that the young blonde was nervous and, truth be told, she liked that. Nervousness told her that this wasn't just a fling – that she really was interested in Emily and was genuinely concerned about making a good impression. "Emily, dear, thank you for coming. That is quite a bruise you have," she noted, reaching out and turning her daughter's face to the side for a better look. She had only heard of the injury over the phone after Emily had already returned home to Quantico a week ago and, as she'd been unable to visit Emily in person before now due to her daughter's schedule and her own meetings regarding her upcoming move to London, this was her first chance to actually see the damage done first-hand.

Emily smiled and pulled away from her mother's touch. "It was a lot more impressive last week."

"I'm sure it was," Elizabeth replied. "Do you think you should make an appointment with Doctor Greenup to have him take a look at it?"

Emily shook her head. "No, mother. I don't need to see a plastic surgeon for it. The doctors at the hospital where I was treated after the incident did a good job, there shouldn't be a scar."

The Ambassador didn't look convinced, but let the matter drop. She had long since given up arguing with Emily when it came to doctors and instead turned her attention to her daughter's new beau. "Forgive me Agent Jareau, I was distracted by Emily's injury. It's nice to see you again," she said, tipping her head in greeting even as she held her hand out toward the blonde.

"JJ is fine, ma'am," JJ replied formally as she shook the older Prentiss' hand. "And that's more than understandable. Thank you for having me."

"Mother," Emily said softly, stepping closer to JJ and placing a hand on the small of the younger woman's back.

Elizabeth smirked at her daughter's actions, quietly pleased at the diplomatic way Emily was making her feelings known. The tilt of Emily's head, the tone of her voice, the protective touch she was showing all told her that her daughter cared very much for the blonde's well-being. "JJ it is. Please, call me Elizabeth. This one is certainly in her over-protective mode, isn't she?" she drawled, hooking a thumb in Emily's direction as she turned her attention back onto her daughter.

JJ felt the way Emily tensed at her mother's comment and leaned back into the hand at her back, silently letting the brunette know that she both recognized her annoyance and appreciated her protection. She didn't think it that protection was entirely necessary at this point, but she did like knowing that Emily was looking out for her.

Unbeknownst to both women, Elizabeth had, quite astutely, picked up on their silent conversation and it only served to further support her earlier conclusion. JJ was, indeed, good for her daughter. "Why don't you two come inside where it's a little warmer," she said as she turned and opened the front door. "Gerald is finishing up the dinner preparations now," she shared as they all filed into the foyer. "I thought we might have a glass of wine and catch up beforehand?"

"That would be fine, mother," Emily answered.

"JJ," Elizabeth addressed the blonde directly, "is there any particular wine you prefer?"

JJ nodded. "I generally prefer a glass of red."

"Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah?" the Ambassador offered genially.

"A glass of Cabernet sounds lovely; thank you, ma'am."

"It's Elizabeth," the Ambassador corrected her warmly. "Now. Why don't you two hang up your coats and I'll go into the parlor and pour us some wine."

Emily nodded her understanding and waited until her mother had disappeared down the hall before she turned toward JJ with a smile. "She likes you."

JJ frowned. "How can you tell?" she asked as she took off her coat and handed it to Emily who was waiting with a hanger.

"She told you to call her Elizabeth," Emily explained as she hung JJ's jacket up in the closet before doing the same with her own.

"Well, I guess I should be happy she didn't say anything about us kissing in her driveway, huh?" JJ said softly, not sure of the acoustics of the house and not wanting her voice to carry.

Emily nodded. "That was another positive development, yes," she agreed. She closed the door to the closet and turned to JJ, reaching out to pull the blonde into a light embrace. "You okay?"

JJ smiled and buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck. "I am," she answered softly as she relaxed into her.

"Good," Emily murmured, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the blonde's brow before pulling back with a sigh. "Come on, my love. Let's get going before the Ambassador comes out here and finds us kissing in her foyer."

JJ laughed and nodded as she reached for Emily's hand. "Lead the way."

Emily lifted their joined hands to her mouth and brushed her lips across JJ's knuckles as they started down the hall. To fill the silence between them she started playing amateur tour guide, pointing out the different rooms and watching JJ's face as the blonde took it all in.

"And, here's the parlor," Emily said as she steered them into the brightly lit space. The room faced south so, even with the late hour, what sun there was left in the sky still streamed through the bank of windows that lined the far wall and overlooked the backyard. She nodded at her mother who was at the small bar tucked into the back of the space pouring three generous glasses of wine as she smoothly directed JJ toward the couch that faced the windows.

JJ allowed Emily to guide her over to one of the large, cream-colored sofas and, as she sat down, she allowed herself a cursory sweep of the room. The white wainscoting along the bottom portion of the walls contrasted perfectly with the warm butter tone of the upper portion, and the dark maroon rug that centered the space served well to anchor the room nicely. It was warm and welcoming, and she found herself instantly relaxing.

Emily watched her mother approach as she sat beside JJ, close enough to provide indirect support without sitting close enough that they were actually touching.

"Here you go JJ," Elizabeth said as she handed the blonde a glass. "It's a 2005 Shafer Cabernet, from California."

JJ nodded as she reached for the glass, thinking that it was somewhat amusing that the Ambassador felt it necessary to share the vintage with her. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Elizabeth replied. "Emily, here you are, dear."

"Thank you, mother," Emily said as she took her glass, obediently lifting it toward the light and giving the liquid a swirl to appraise the color. She was familiar with the winery, and knew that they were reputed to produce an excellent wine, though it wasn't one she would buy for herself because she thought the price of $250 per bottle was more than a little ridiculous.

JJ, who knew better than to pretend the level of familiarity with wine that Emily was displaying, instead opted to just take a sip of the rich, burgundy liquid. "Oh my," she murmured after her first taste. "This is amazing."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "It is one of my favorites, I'm glad you like it."

"Very nice, mother," Emily noted. "Strong blackberry and licorice tones-" she took another sip "-and is that a hint of cassis?"

"That summer in France served you well." Elizabeth nodded. "Very good, dear."

Emily smirked at the verbal pat on the head and nodded as she lifted her glass in a silent toast. Her mother might be pushing the majority of her buttons, but she knew just how to hide it. "So, London again, I hear. Are you excited to go back?"

JJ relaxed back into the couch and crossed her legs, fingering the stem of her glass as she listened to Emily and her mother compare notes on Great Britain – which restaurants they enjoyed, small memories of events that had occurred while they had lived there. She liked learning more about Emily's childhood, and the Ambassador did make an effort to include her in the conversation as much as possible, but she would have enjoyed herself more if Emily had been behaving more as _her_ Emily instead of the perfectly polite daughter of an Ambassador. Even so, the time passed quickly and it wasn't long before a small, gray-haired woman politely interrupted their conversation to inform them all that dinner was ready.

Elizabeth smiled as she led the way into the dining room. "JJ, darling, I hope we didn't bore you."

"Not at all." JJ assured the Ambassador. "London is on my list of places that I'd like to go someday, so I found the entire conversation quite interesting."

"You've never been to London?" Emily asked as she pulled a chair out for JJ, stoically refusing to react to her mother's knowing little smirk as she helped push the chair back in.

JJ shrugged and turned to look at Emily. "I've never been to Europe."

"Well, you'll have to have Emily take you then," Elizabeth drawled as she settled in at the head of the table. "Oh, Emily, dear, could you have Marie bring in the bottle of wine that I left open on the bar in the parlor? And perhaps another one?" she asked sweetly, knowing full well that there was no way Emily would ever ask Marie to do anything for her that she could do for herself.

Emily shook her head. "I'll just go get it, mother. You left the open bottle on the bar; where do you keep the others – in the kitchen, or the basement?"

"That would be lovely, dear. They're in the kitchen." The Ambassador nodded her thanks and waited until her daughter was out of the room before she turned her attention to the lovely blonde with whom she had so far been impressed. "So, JJ, how long have you been dating my daughter?"

JJ sat up straighter in her chair, pushing her shoulders back and assuming the same rigid posture Emily had been showing all evening. "We've been dating for a little more than a week," she answered, holding the Ambassador's eye confidently. _And so the grilling begins._

Elizabeth smiled and purposefully eased her body into a relaxed posture that was the exact opposite of the younger woman's, silently giving off the message that _she_ was the one in control of the conversation. "Have you two known each other since she joined the Behavioral Analysis Unit?"

JJ recognized the Ambassador's ploy for what it was and had to give the older woman credit for the maneuver even though she recognized it for what it was – a warning. "Yes ma'am. I was actually the agent assigned to walk her through some of the team's protocol and procedures."

"And you two are serious," the Ambassador presumed, lifting her wine glass off the table and swirling the liquid around inside the glass languidly. "I'm assuming things between you are serious if she's already bringing you to meet me." _She's never brought anyone home to meet me before now, so you must be very special indeed, Ms. Jareau._

JJ smiled politely. "I won't answer for Emily, ma'am, that's her place, but I can tell you that I myself am very serious. I had been in love with your daughter for quite a while before _we_ ever happened, and I have no intention of doing anything to hurt her. When I look at Emily I see my future, and I will do everything in my power to see that she is happy and feels loved."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully as she tried to come up with a polite response to the blonde's opening gambit. She would never say so, but the guts JJ showed in answering her directly instead of cowering before her went a long way toward earning her full approval. "Does that future include marriage? I know Washington DC, for example, recognizes same-sex marriages as being legal."

JJ bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at Elizabeth's question, knowing that the Ambassador had thrown it out there to see if it would knock her off her game. _Emily really wasn't kidding the other day when she said I should treat her mother as if she were a reporter._ "I would like to be married someday, yes."

"To Emily?" The Ambassador clarified.

JJ fought the urge to roll her eyes as she answered, "Yes."

Elizabeth pursed her lips as she studied JJ carefully. "Do you want children?"

JJ nodded. "I would very much like to have children someday."

"You do realize that Emily comes from money, that there are certain… responsibilities she must adhere to due to my position in government."

_Yes, we all know that you're an Ambassador_, JJ thought sardonically even as she relaxed her posture, using that nonverbal cue to tell the Ambassador that she was not going to be scared off, and offered Elizabeth her sweetest smile. "I do. And while I understand and respect those responsibilities, I will not hide my love for her, ma'am."

Realizing that the blonde was not going to be rattled when it came to questions about her and Emily's relationship, the Ambassador changed tactics. It was, after all, her motherly duty to grill any of her daughter's potential suitors and, as she'd never had the chance to do so before, she found herself rather enjoying it. "What is it that your parents do, Agent Jareau?"

"My father is a teacher at East Allegheny High School and my mother is a homemaker," JJ stated in a proud, matter-of-fact tone.

"Teaching is a noble profession." The Ambassador nodded. "Certainly one that is underappreciated and extremely underpaid, in my opinion. You do know that Emily has several rather large trust funds?"

JJ shrugged and opted to not point out that being a homemaker is an equally underappreciated job. "I assumed as much, but I didn't know for sure until you just told me. It's not something I worry about."

The Ambassador cast a dubious eye at the young blonde. "You don't worry about money?"

"No ma'am." JJ shook her head and reached for her glass, which still had a sip of wine left in the bottom. "I have a good job that I love to do, and have always handled my money wisely. I don't need Emily's money, ma'am; I just need Emily," she said, holding the Ambassador's eye as she lifted her glass to her lips. It looked to her, for a moment, as if Emily's mother was going to say something more, she was willing to bet it would have been something about a pre-nup, but the profiler reappeared in the doorway holding two bottles of wine.

"Here we are," Emily announced as she set the uncorked bottles onto the table between them all. "Marie is going to be bringing the salads out in a moment."

"Excellent," Elizabeth replied as she sat up straighter in her chair.

Emily nodded absently as she sat down in her chair beside JJ. Ignoring her mother's look, she placed her hand on the blonde's thigh as she leaned in and whispered against her ear, "I'm sorry, Jen. I shouldn't have left you alone. Are you okay?"

JJ nodded and smiled as she turned to look Emily in the eye, knowing that the brunette would need that visual proof that she really was okay. "I'm fine," she answered simply, her tone light, as if she and the Ambassador had been discussing topics no more interesting than the weather.

Emily could see that JJ really was okay; the blonde's posture was relaxed and she had that twinkle in her eye that she always got whenever she went toe-to-toe with a particularly vicious reporter and won, which told her that whatever had happened in her absence had been handled. She nodded slowly, giving JJ a look that told the blonde that she would like to know the specifics of what had happened once they were alone again, as she whispered, "Good."

"And here we are ma'am," Marie, the housekeeper and Gerald's wife, called out as she entered the room with three plates balanced expertly in her hands. "Spinach salad with mushrooms and red onion in a warm bacon dressing."

Emily smiled warmly at the older woman. "Thank you, Marie. It looks wonderful."

"Yes, thank you," JJ echoed Emily's sentiment.

Marie smiled at them both and bobbed her head in thanks as she set a plate down in front of Elizabeth before she backed slowly out of the room, well aware of the Ambassador's belief that servants should be seen and not heard. Emily watched the matronly woman go before she turned her attention back onto her mother. "We saw Charlie Stone last night," she said as she stabbed at the spinach leaves on her plate.

"How is Charles doing?" Elizabeth asked politely as she, too, began picking at her food.

"Good. His vineyard is really starting to take off. You should really have your assistant order some bottles for you to try. He's done some amazing things with his Pinot. Very unique flavor blends. JJ really liked his Cabernet, as well."

"I'll get Jonathan to make a call then," Elizabeth murmured. "Is he still writing?"

"Yes," Emily answered simply.

"Have you read his books?" JJ asked Emily's mother, intent on showing both Prentiss women that she had not been scared off by her time alone with the Ambassador. "They are quite good."

"I haven't," Elizabeth confessed. "Perhaps I should look to pick up one to read on the flight to London."

The rest of the dinner passed in an excruciatingly polite hum of conversation that was entirely superficial and, after both JJ and Emily begged off dessert, it was thankfully over. Fake smiles were shared over more meaningless chatter as the couple slipped back into their coats and it was with a quick handshake for JJ and a painfully distant embrace for Emily, that they were off, both happy to have the evening behind them.

"I'm sorry," Emily apologized as they pulled out of the drive under the Ambassador's watchful eye.

JJ shot the brunette a look of confusion. "Why?"

"For leaving you alone with my mother," Emily explained. "I'd promised I wouldn't leave your side."

JJ shook her head and reached out to take Emily's hand in her own. "It wasn't that bad."

Emily sucked her lips between her teeth and stared hard out the windshield at the night-darkened street. Honestly, she didn't know why her mother's polite distance bothered her so much more tonight than any other night she had subjected herself to her mother's audience. "But it wasn't good, either."

"Emily," JJ sighed. "Sweetie, it was fine. I was honestly expecting much worse."

"What did she say to you when I left to fetch the wine?"

"Nothing that I wasn't anticipating," JJ answered, softly running her thumb over the back of Emily's hand. "She asked if I was looking to marry you, and if I wanted children. I said 'yes' to both those lines of questioning, by the way," she teased, hoping to ease some of the brunette's obvious concern.

Which it did. Emily chuckled and lifted their joined hands to her lips to press a soft kiss to the back of JJ's hand. "I say 'yes' too," she said softly. "But there's more, isn't there? You had that look in your eye that you get after a particularly tough press conference, so I know there was more. If she insulted you…"

"Em," JJ interrupted. "Put the brakes on your imagination there, honey. She was just wanting to make sure that I wasn't after your money."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Right. Because nobody would ever want to be with me for me."

"Hey, hey, hey! I never said that," JJ argued gently, more than a little surprised at the way her lover was reacting to the evening. "Emily, sweetie, you know that's not true."

"Yeah," Emily sighed as she pulled to a stop at a red light. "Sometimes I think she feels that way though. I never could measure up to what she wanted me to be."

JJ took advantage of the pause in traffic and reached out with her free hand to physically turn Emily's face so that the brunette was looking at her. "Who you are is everything I need. I love you because you're you. I don't need your money; I just need you, Em," she whispered, her eyes focused on Emily's. "And I told her that too. If it makes her happy when the time comes, I'll sign-"

"No," Emily interrupted her, knowing that one of the next words to come out of the blonde's mouth was going to be 'pre-nup'. "No. I will never ask you to do that. I don't want you to do that. I know you aren't just with me because I have a couple of trust funds, Jen, I do. I'm sorry. It's just… she just knows how to get to me still."

JJ noticed out of the corner of her eye that the light had changed and she sat back in her seat so Emily could continue driving. She sighed and shook her head. A moving vehicle was not the place for this conversation, but she could tell that Emily needed it. "Emily, you are an amazing woman. You're smart, funny, ridiculously sexy with your off-center belt and Kevlar vest-" she smiled "-and anybody, anybody would be blessed to have your love. Please know that I don't take it lightly or for granted. I love you, Emily Prentiss. For so many reasons, I love you. So don't let her take that away from us. Don't let her take that away from you, or from me. Because I do feel blessed to know that I'm the one in your heart, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to show you every day exactly how much I love, honor, and cherish you."

"I love you so much Jennifer," Emily whispered as the tears that had built in her eyes at JJ's words spilled over.

JJ smiled and reached across the space separating them to run a loving thumb over Emily's cheek, brushing her tears away. "I know, sweetheart. I love you too."

Emily smiled weakly and squeezed JJ's hand that was still wrapped around her own. By the time she'd pulled into JJ's driveway, her cheeks had long since dried and her heart was warmed by the comforting presence of the woman beside her. She cast a shy, thankful smile at JJ as she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her door. "Let me walk you up."

JJ shook her head. "You're coming inside with me."

Emily smiled. "I am?"

"You are." JJ nodded. "I am going to take you to bed, Emily Prentiss, and show you exactly how much I love you."

"I didn't bring any clothes for work tomorrow."

"You can borrow something of mine if you need to," JJ stated, both her voice and her gaze serious.

Emily looked down for a moment before looking up to meet JJ's eyes. "I have my go-bag in the back, if I could maybe borrow a shirt?"

JJ smiled warmly. "Of course."

Emily licked her lips and nodded as she climbed out of the car and she heard JJ do the same. They met up at the back of her SUV where they both retrieved their bags and Emily smiled at the soft hand that JJ rested on the small of her back as she closed the hatch.

"Come on," JJ murmured, pushing lightly against Emily's back as the brunette used the keyless remote to lock the car. "Let's go inside."


	27. Chapter 27

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**CHAPTER  
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**27**

The soft yellow light from the hall filtered through the open doorway as JJ and Emily stood in each other's arms at the side of the blonde's bed. The house around them was silent, almost as if it was a sentient being capable of understanding exactly how much the two women needed this time together. And they did. JJ still didn't quite know where the brunette's reactions to the dinner had come from, she really didn't think it had been a terribly horrendous 'meet the parents' experience and had been more than expecting the grilling she got, but she did recognize the fact that this moment, right here, was an opportunity to prove to Emily how very much she loved her.

Emily sighed as she buried her face in the crook of JJ's neck, breathing in the smaller woman's scent, soaking in her warmth. "Thank you," she whispered, her words dancing lightly over the sensitive skin of JJ's throat. So many thoughts fit into those two simple words: _thank you for loving me; thank you for not letting me slip into the melancholy I normally do after leaving my mother's presence; thank you for being you and being here with me._

JJ smoothed her hands over Emily's back, comforting with a touch as she whispered, "There is nothing you need to thank me for."

Emily took a deep breath and nodded, not necessarily out of agreement but out of understanding. She knew JJ honestly believed that she had done nothing worthy of being thanked. She lifted her head to look the blonde in the eye and she felt her heart stumble in her chest at the absolute love and understanding she saw staring back at her.

JJ crooked one corner of her mouth up in a reassuring smile as she leaned in and claimed Emily's lips in a kiss that was slow and gentle, tender and loving and everything the brunette needed. "I love you," she whispered as her hands slipped down to Emily's hips, her thumbs automatically slipping under soft cashmere to rub against even softer skin.

Emily managed a half-smile and a nod in response before she accepted another kiss from the blonde. The embarrassment she had over her behavior in the car began to fade with each tender caress until she felt her body beginning to come alive as JJ's lips moved leisurely against her own. It was a kiss that seemed to go on forever. It wasn't rushed or hungry, it was just a simple grasping of lips, a light touching of tongues. It was a kiss to soothe and reassure rather than arouse, it was one that was meant to convey love rather than lust. And it did so perfectly. She sighed when JJ's lips left her own to blaze a slow, almost reverent trail across her cheek and she let her eyes fall shut, blocking out the rest of the world as she focused on that finite connection of her love's lips against her skin. She turned her head to the side, giving JJ what the blonde so obviously desired, and shivered as she felt warm, even breaths fall across her ear.

"I love you," JJ murmured, her words soft and quiet as a butterfly's wings.

Emily let out a shaky breath and her fingers flexed against JJ's sides as the blonde's words ghosted over her very soul, soothing away a lifetime of insecurity and feelings of unworthiness and replacing those dark feelings with ones of acceptance, love, and affection. "I love you," she breathed softly.

JJ let her own eyes close for a moment at the timbre of Emily's voice as she brushed her lips over Emily's ear. "Let me show you exactly how much I love you?" she asked quietly, her smile growing as Emily groaned at her request. Emily's cheek rubbed against hers as the brunette nodded and she began laying light, feather-soft kisses back across the older woman's jaw as she began working Emily's sweater up her body. Their mouths met just as her hands reached the brunette's exquisite breasts, and she eagerly swallowed the moan that spilled from Emily's lips as she let her thumbs brush over the brunette's hidden nipples. She took her time kissing Emily slowly, deeply, and playing with the satin-covered mounds under her hands, intent on taking this slow, determined to make Emily feel every iota of love she held for her.

JJ's lips quirked up in a smile as she broke their string of soft, tender kisses so she could ease Emily's sweater up off over her head, letting her eyes tell the brunette exactly how much she loved her. She had used her words when they were in the car and, while she made her living with her words and knew how to use them to convey exactly what she wanted to get across, now wasn't the time for spoken language. What she felt for Emily went so much deeper than words could ever adequately describe and she knew that this was the time for her to convey her love for the brunette with a kiss, with a touch, to make Emily _feel_ how much she was loved.

The emotion swirling in JJ's darkening gaze was quite literally breathtaking, never before had Emily understood so much when not a word had been spoken. "Jennifer," she murmured as she reached for the hem of the younger woman's sweater.

JJ licked her lips and obligingly lifted her arms, allowing Emily to remove her top as well. They came together again in a quiet crush of satin and skin and denim; their hands roaming slowly over familiar curves as their lip met in a kiss that was so achingly tender that it brought tears to Emily's eyes. Clothes were removed between kisses until there were no more barriers between them and JJ smiled reassuringly as she lowered Emily to her bed with a gentle push and a hushed, "Let me love you."

Emily laid her head on the pillows and silently beckoned JJ to her with a look, her eyes telling the blonde that she was hers to do with as she pleased, and she sighed when she felt her lover's lithe form cover her own. Their lips met in another tender caress as hands began to glide slowly over skin, and when the kiss finally broke she felt her heart skip a beat at the unspoken promises she saw swirling in the stormy blue eyes staring back at her.

JJ shifted her weight over Emily as she began laying a line of kisses over the brunette's jaw before slipping down to the graceful column of her throat. She took her time, making sure to brush her lips over each centimeter of skin on her path, making sure that every sensitive spot received a light lick or a quick nip. She brushed her lips back and forth over the defined edge of Emily's clavicles, from right to left, sweeping across the width of her lover's body before returning to the center where she traced the perimeter of the hollow of the brunette's throat with her tongue before laying a slow, wet, lingering kiss to the spot and continuing on, pleased with the way Emily had given herself over to her touch.

Emily moaned softly as JJ's lips began working their way down her chest. The feeling of each brush of lips against her skin was electric and the heat falling in waves from the blonde's mouth was a feeling she could drown in forever, but the most tortuously exquisite sensation she'd ever experienced was the feeling of JJ's lips and her breath combined with the softness of the hair slipping over her skin as she moved. Any one of those sensations alone would have been enough to drive her wild, all three combined was more than enough to render her incapable of cogent thought as her world condensed to the feeling of JJ's body against her own. The house could have been burning down around them and she wouldn't have noticed, she was that focused on each kiss, every caress, and the feeling of spun silk cascading over her skin.

She whimpered at the feeling of JJ's cheeks brushing against the insides of her breasts as the blonde kissed through that sculpted valley and she groaned as she felt the impossibly soft blanket of JJ's hair disappear. The loss was enough to drag her eyes open and what she saw tore a ragged moan from her lips. JJ had tucked her hair back behind her ears and was hovering over her right breast, her mouth open, her tongue extended.

JJ flashed her eyes up to look at Emily at the sound of the brunette's moan. She held those brown eyes captive as she lowered her mouth slowly, letting her breath fall against the sensitive dusky tip for a moment before she delivered that first, light lick to the nub.

Emily's eyes snapped shut at the feeling of JJ tonguing her nipple and she arched into the touch, wanting more, even as she grasped blindly with both hands at the pillow under her head.

JJ moaned softly at Emily's reaction, a fresh wave of arousal settling between her thighs at the vision before her, and she began lightly flicking her tongue over the very tip of the pebbled nub under her mouth. She traced its perimeter with the tip of her tongue slowly, each circuit somehow even slower than the last, loving the gasps and sighs that fell from Emily's mouth, before finally wrapping her lips around the nipple and sucking against it, the suction of her mouth no more firm than her earlier caresses.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on the pillow under her head as JJ lingered upon her breast, sucking, licking, occasionally delivering a surprising nip that sent currents of electricity straight to her groin. She became lost to the feeling of JJ's mouth against her and she whimpered wantonly when she felt that warmth, that heat disappear.

JJ hummed reassuringly as she brushed her lips back down over the swell of Emily's breast to press a kiss to the brunette's breastbone before gliding up the opposite slope to deliver similar attention to the breast she'd heretofore ignored, even as she covered the one she'd just ravished with her hand, squeezing the mound and flicking her thumb over the hard tip as she took its twin into her mouth.

"Oh god," Emily breathed as JJ's tongue began lashing lightly against her. "Fuck Jayj," she grunted as the force of the blonde's touch suddenly increased with a hard suck and a surprising pinch of fingers on one nipple and teeth on the other.

JJ smiled around the nipple between her lips as she soothed the nub with her tongue, enjoying the hardness of the tip, the way it felt against her tongue. It was with one last kiss, one final suck, that she brushed her lips back down over the inside of the brunette's breast to press another kiss to the hollow over her heart before she began working her way down her lover's body. She smiled and shook her head when she felt Emily try and open her legs for her; though that was her ultimate destination, she was in no hurry to get there. "Patience, my love," she whispered against trembling abs before continuing her tortuously slow path down the brunette's body. She smiled as she paused to dip a playful tongue into Emily's navel, tonguing the indention purposefully as she finally moved enough to allow the brunette to spread her legs.

Emily moaned as she cradled JJ between her thighs, her moan turning into a groan of disbelief as the blonde's mouth began ghosting down her inner thigh in the same excruciatingly slow manner. She spread herself wider as JJ's mouth moved further down her leg and she groaned when the blonde stopped her trek to pay closer attention to the erogenous zone behind her knee. "Please, Jennifer," she whimpered, somehow managing to spread her legs even further.

JJ moaned quietly at the brunette's wanton display but refused to be rushed, instead staying for a few moments longer than she'd intended to tease the back of the brunette's knee before continuing onward, or, downward, as the case was, to brush her lips over the swell of the older woman's calf muscle before sucking lightly against the area around her ankle. She smiled as she heard Emily sigh as she switched sides, her intent obvious as she began working her mouth back up the inside of the brunette's other leg. As she worked her way higher she had to make herself to slow down, had to force herself to take her time, because the sight of Emily so wet and swollen for her, the smell of her desire was just so damned inviting that her tongue literally ached to abandon the foreplay and just taste.

Emily groaned as JJ's mouth finally moved past her knee and began gliding over her inner thigh. Again she pleaded for JJ's touch, and again she was denied with a flick of a tongue against her skin and a hushed, "I know, Em."

And JJ did know, so even though she still made sure to lavish attention on every millimeter of skin on her path, she didn't linger any longer, instead pressing a soft kiss or a gentle nip to sensitive skin before she finally caved to each of their desires and ran her tongue in a line up the brunette's leg until her mouth was hovering above her center.

"Please," Emily groaned as JJ's breath fell across her in promising waves. So much heat, so much promise, if only that mouth would move closer to where she was aching to be touched. "Please, Jennifer."

JJ's eyes fluttered closed at the rough timbre of Emily's voice as she lowered her mouth to those most intimate lips. She lowered herself fully to the mattress between Emily's legs as she slipped her hands around the brunette's thighs to pull herself in closer. "Emily," she breathed as she closed that final distance separating them. She laid a long lick through the length of the brunette's folds, ending with a circuitous route around the bundle of nerves at the apex before taking it between her lips and suckling it gently.

Emily moaned long and low and deep as her hips began a steady tempo against JJ's mouth. She was eased higher and higher with every swirl of the blonde's tongue against her, wound that much tighter with every little suck, and it wasn't long before the heat coiled low in her hips began to spread through her body. Her blood was rushing through her veins, pounding in her ears, pounding so loudly that she couldn't even hear the litany of '_I love you'_s and '_Oh my god, Jennifer'_s falling from her lips. JJ brought her right to the edge and held her there with each purposefully gentle lick and suck and she groaned when the mouth that had been driving her to insanity disappeared.

JJ pulled back from Emily and waited for the brunette's eyes to find her own. It took perhaps only a couple of seconds before bewildered brown eyes sought her out and she smiled reassuringly as she said, "I love you, Emily Prentiss."

Emily smiled and released her hold on the pillow she'd been throttling to reach down with both hands for her lover. She sighed as JJ's fingers threaded through her own and blue eyes held her captive as she watched her lover's mouth dip back between her legs. She groaned and tightened her hold on JJ's hands, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of JJ cradled between her thighs until it was with one last twirl of a tongue around her that she fell over the edge into release. Her eyes snapped shut as that first explosive wave crashed through her, her head falling back, her chest arching toward the ceiling as the coil of energy that had wound itself inside her snapped.

JJ tongued Emily's clit through the entirety of the brunette's orgasm before dipping her mouth down to lap lazily at the fruits of her labor for a moment until Emily tugged at her hands, urging her upwards. She laid one last lick, one last kiss to her lover's folds before untangling their hands and working her way back up the brunette's body. She smiled as insistent hands wrapped around her arms and guided her higher and moaned loudly when her mouth was claimed in a deep, hungry kiss, Emily's tongue thrusting its way through her lips to tangle with her own.

Emily groaned at the taste of herself on the blonde's mouth even as her body tingled with the aftereffects of her orgasm. Her fingers tangled themselves in JJ's hair, pulling the blonde into her as she plundered her mouth. "My god, Jen," she husked when the need for air forced them apart.

"I love you." JJ smiled.

Emily moaned and lifted her head off the pillow to claim JJ's lips in a tender kiss. "I love you too, sweetheart," she said as she ran the back of her right hand over the delicate slope of the blonde's cheek. "So much."

JJ dipped her head to kiss Emily again and smiled into the kiss as she felt the brunette pushing against her, trying to roll them over. "Hello," she breathed as she suddenly found herself on her back and looking up into a set of serious brown eyes.

Emily chuckled and settled her hips between the blonde's legs. "Hi," she murmured as she used her chin to turn JJ's head to the side so she could have unfettered access to the blonde's neck which she immediately began peppering with slow, lingering kisses, light, teasing sucks, and an occasional playful nip.

JJ moaned appreciatively as she threaded her fingers through Emily's hair, holding the older woman to her tenderly.

Emily smiled at the feeling of JJ's fingers massaging her scalp as she worked her way lower at a speed that was only marginally faster than how JJ had moved over her. She knew the blonde was already aroused, she could feel it hot and slick against her skin, but she wanted to make sure that JJ felt as loved as she had. Tomorrow they would be forced out of their little cocoon and back into the real world, the world where they were surrounded by death and destruction, and she wanted to make sure that the blonde had this night, this moment of an absolutely pure love to carry her through.

She brushed her fingers over JJ's sides as she licked at a straining nipple, teasing it for a moment before enveloping it in her mouth and sucking against it hungrily, bringing it to an even harder point inside her mouth before letting it fall from her lips so she could deliver similar attentions to the blonde's other breast.

JJ felt her eyes roll back in her head as Emily finally left her chest and began working down her body, tracing indistinct patterns against her stomach with the tip of her tongue. "Em…"

Emily smiled. "I know, sweetheart," she assured her as she slid down the bed so that she was able to dip her tongue into the abundant pool of wetness between the blonde's thighs. She slipped her hands around JJ's legs to hold the blonde steady as she began to make love to her with her mouth, each brush of her lips an unspoken promise, every flick of her tongue a silent vow. She pulled JJ's legs open wider as she pulled herself in closer to take the blonde's clit between her lips and suckle it.

"Holy fuck, Em," JJ gasped at the feeling of the brunette's teeth raking carefully over her most sensitive spot.

"Too much?" Emily murmured.

"God, no. More baby… please… so close…" JJ panted, her words dissolving into a keening wail as Emily's mouth once again surrounded her, sucking and licking, dull teeth carefully pinching. She closed her eyes as the electricity from the brunette's touch ricocheted through her, pulsing in her veins, throbbing in her ears until with one last long, hard suck she was thrown over the edge screaming as her body trembled with her release.

Emily eased JJ through her orgasm, lovingly trying to extend it for as long as possible before she finally abandoned her position between the blonde's thighs to move up to her side and hold her close. She smiled when JJ, still lost in her afterglow, turned into her, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

"I love you," JJ husked against the sweaty column of Emily's throat.

"I love you, Jennifer," Emily murmured as she used her foot to lift the blankets they'd kicked to the foot of the bed up to her hand so she could cover them up. "Sleep, my love. You'll need your rest."

"Don' wanna go back to work," JJ mumbled petulantly.

Emily smiled and pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of the blonde's head. "Yes you do. We both love it too much to give it up."

"Love you more," JJ murmured.

"I know, sweetheart. I love you too. Now, sleep."

"You'll stay?" JJ asked, wrapping her arm around Emily's waist and pulling herself in closer.

"For as long as you'll have me."

"That's forever, you know," JJ pointed out sleepily.

Emily smiled. "I'm counting on it."

_**End of Part One**_

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**NOTE:** Alrighty peeps. In my official word document this first part of JJ/Emily's story closes out at 100,662 words and 234 pages. That's a novel. *pats own back…hugs Jade for sticking with me on this* The next part will pick up about 3 months in the future and because the votes were pretty well split but more in favor of 'smushing' everything together, that's what I'll do. Like I said before, there will be a break before the next update because I still have to get started on the next part of the story. I like to have 5 chapters in my pocket before I post anything, so it'll most likely be 4-6 weeks until I get back to this story. Hopefully you'll all still be here waiting for me when I return. Thanks to all who have read, even bigger THANKS to those who have commented. Honestly, if it wasn't for you guys and your amazing interest in this story, lord knows this thing would have wrapped up a long time ago.


	28. Part 2: Chapter 1

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**Part Two**

**~ Four Months Later ~**

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**Chapter 1**

Emily sighed as she dropped heavily into her seat beside JJ on the team's jet. It was late on a Friday afternoon, and she'd been looking forward to a calm, quiet, relaxing weekend with her girlfriend. Instead, they were waiting to take off and leave the East Coast entirely to work a case in Portland, Oregon. For what, none of them were sure because the call had gone directly to Hotch, and he had just told them to get on the plane and they'd brief once they were in the air. But if the call went over JJ, they all knew that it meant that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"I just wanted to stay home this weekend," Emily muttered under her breath as she scrubbed her hands over her eyes. JJ had moved in with her a couple weeks ago, and she had really been hoping that _this_ would be the weekend that they finally spent the entire weekend in _their_ home together. With no work. And, ideally, little to no clothing.

JJ smiled and reached out to squeeze Emily's leg. "I know. Me too," she said, never once looking away from the file she was reading that contained details of another case in another state that she'd already decided she would have to hand over to Reid for a consult. "I was looking forward to painting the office."

Emily smirked. "Okay, I'm kind of glad I'm missing out on that," she drawled, turning her head to look at JJ.

"Please," JJ scoffed. "We both know I would have been doing all the work anyways."

"I would have helped," Emily argued.

JJ looked up at Emily and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. After I threatened to withhold sex, maybe."

Emily's jaw dropped in horror. "Now that's just mean. Why would you do that?"

"Because it's the easiest way to guarantee that you'd help," JJ said matter-of-factly as she returned her attention to the file she was trying to finish reading.

"Help with what?" Morgan asked as he slid into the window seat across the table from the Communications Liaison.

"Painting the office," JJ said distractedly, sticking a yellow post-it onto a page and scribbling a note on it.

"And what would you do to guarantee she'd help?" he asked.

"It's more like what she wouldn't do," Emily muttered.

Morgan gave his partner a look of pure disbelief. "She would really threaten you with _that_ to make you paint?"

Emily arched a brow and nodded. "Apparently so."

"Guys, I am sitting right here," JJ drawled, smirking as she looked up from her work.

"Yeah. But that's just mean," Morgan told JJ.

"See!" Emily said, waving a hand at Morgan indicatively, obviously pleased that somebody was on her side. "Mean."

"What's mean?" Reid asked as he took the fourth and final seat at their table.

"Withholding sex," Emily answered.

Reid looked at Morgan and Emily. "Who's withholding sex?"

"Nobody is withholding sex, Spence," JJ sighed as she gave up on working for the time being and tossed the file she'd been reading onto the table. "These two are just appalled by the idea that I may threaten to withhold sex to get Emily to help me paint the office."

"Oh." Reid nodded thoughtfully as he worked the strap of his worn leather satchel off over his head. "Well, I imagine that would be a perfectly logical motivator."

JJ smiled. "Thank you. See, it's a perfectly logical motivator."

Emily popped up out of her chair and smacked Reid over the head with a file. "You suck."

JJ picked up the file she had been reading moments before and smacked Emily in the arm with it. "Be nice to Spence."

Morgan reached for a file to defend Emily's honor but both the brunette and JJ looked at him and said, "Don't you dare."

"Damn," he muttered, slumping back in his seat.

"Do I need to start handing out time-outs again?" Hotch asked in a tired voice as he climbed on board the jet. It had been a long week, and while he didn't know exactly what 'the kids' had been up to, he could tell from the way that Morgan was pouting and Reid was rubbing the top of his head, that something had happened.

"No, sir," the group mumbled.

"Good. Because Portland PD's going to need all of us on this one."

"Yes, sir," the group answered.

"What's going on?" Rossi asked as he entered the cabin to find Hotch glaring impressively at Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, and JJ.

"I don't know," Hotch muttered.

Rossi nodded thoughtfully as he scanned the group for the weak link. Not that he needed to look hard; he always ended up in the same place. "Reid?"

"JJ is threatening…" Reid started to answer automatically before Emily kicked him under the table. "Ow," he whined as he gave Emily a pitiful look.

Emily just pursed her lips and shook her head.

"I don't know, sir," Reid finished lamely.

Hotch shook his head, and Rossi had to turn around to hide his smile.

"Well, how about if, for now, we focus on Portland's problem," Hotch said, directing his team's attention back to the actual matter at hand. "Jason Gray was out for a run with his dog this morning when she disappeared off the path in front of him. When he eventually caught up to her, she was nosing around at this," he said, dropping an 8x10 glossy of a partially buried dismembered leg sticking out of a black trash bag.

Any and all thoughts of childish bickering disappeared as the group sat up straighter in their seats to have a look.

"So the dog didn't dig it up?" Morgan asked.

"It doesn't look like it. Looks like scavengers found it and opened it up," Rossi answered as he turned back to the discussion.

"This leg belongs to a female," Emily said as she studied the picture carefully. "Did they find any more of her, or was this it?"

Hotch handed the astute brunette a file first before handing them out to the rest of the team. "The entire body was recovered. As were four others. All female. Ages at this point are undetermined"

"All dismembered?" Reid asked as he took his copy of the file from the Unit Chief.

"Yes." Hotch nodded gravely. "The Medical Examiner has called in a local forensic anthropologist to consult on estimating a post mortem interval for each of the victims."

Emily sighed. "PMI is tough when they're buried in plastic like this. We're going to have a huge window."

"Exactly," Hotch agreed.

"From the condition of this leg," Reid murmured, tilting his head as he studied the gruesome photograph, "it looks like there should be enough left to try and determine a cause of death. Toxicology might be helpful."

"Unless he dismembered them while they were still alive," Morgan muttered.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Hotch interjected. "They're working triple-time to try and have something useful for us by the time we touch down, so I want all of you to be ready to hit the ground running. We'll all be heading out to the crime scene."

"All of us, sir?" Emily spoke up, casting a quick look in JJ's direction.

"Yes. The media have picked up on this story and have swarmed the site. JJ, I'm going to need you to try and get control of what they know and are reporting. I don't want too much information out there until we have a better idea of what is going on."

JJ nodded. "You got it."

"Good. When I spoke to him, the pilot said he should be able to pick up a decent tail wind, so we'll be there in a little less than four hours. Study, sleep, and get ready to scramble. This one is going to be a circus," Hotch said as he moved to the small table at the other end of the plane from the group.

"I think I would have rather painted the office," Emily muttered as she opened the file she'd been given and began reading.

+++/+++\+++

Morgan groaned as he climbed out of the SUV that he'd driven out to the site. "Great. So we get to go hiking in the rain."

"Statistically speaking, it could have been worse," Reid piped up as he, too, climbed out of the vehicle. "July averages the least amount of rain for the region than any other month at point nine-one inches."

"So we're just lucky, then," Emily drawled from her position in the backseat. Her door was open, but she was not going to get out until Hotch and Rossi got there.

Reid frowned. "I'm not sure if lucky… you were being sarcastic."

"Very good, Reid," Emily chuckled.

"Be nice," JJ muttered from her position beside Emily. She was busy pouring through the latest details Garcia had sent over so that she was prepared to address the press, and was only half-paying attention to the bickering going on around her.

"How's it look?" Emily asked Morgan.

"Shouldn't be too bad," Morgan answered as he squinted up the dirt path that disappeared into the woods. "Hope Rossi isn't wearing new boots, though. It'll be muddy."

"We the only ones down here?" Emily asked as she turned around in her seat and pulled a pair of well-worn combat boots from her tactical bag.

"Pretty much," Morgan said, turning to his partner and giving her a wink. "We'll keep a look out for you."

"And that is why I love you," Emily drawled as she dropped her boots onto the floor and reached out to pull her door closed.

"What are you doing?" JJ asked, looking up in surprise when Emily's hand wrapped around her own.

"This," Emily said, leaning in and kissing JJ softly.

JJ smiled into the kiss and moaned softly when their tongues met in a slow, familiar dance between them. "Hmm. What was that for?"

"Just don't know when I'm going to get a chance to do that again," Emily replied as she kissed JJ again tenderly. "I love you."

JJ smiled. This had become their routine whenever they started a new case. Not always the kiss, but the reaffirmation of their love. With the horrors the faced almost daily, it was a nice reminder that not everything in their lives was so full of darkness. "I love you too, Em. So, so much."

Emily smiled and rested her forehead against JJ's as she took a deep breath, holding the blonde's gaze captive as they sat in a comfortable silence until it was shattered by a quick rap against the window. "Showtime," Emily murmured. She pulled away from JJ, and glanced out the window to see Hotch and Rossi's SUV pull up beside them.

JJ reached out and pulled Emily to her for one last quick kiss. "Be safe. I'll see you later."

Emily smiled. "You too. I love you."

"Love you too," JJ said softly, biting her lip thoughtfully as she watched Emily toss her dress boots over her shoulder into the back of the SUV.

"Good luck out there," Emily said as she laced up her shoes. "You sure you don't want one of us to go with you?"

"Thank you, sweetie, but I'll be fine," JJ assured her. She smiled and leaned in to steal one last kiss, before she hopped out of the car and started toward the other end of the parking lot where the local police had quarantined the media.

"You good?" Morgan asked Emily when she eventually climbed out of the car.

Emily nodded. "Yup."

"Then let's go," Hotch announced as he started up the trail.

+++/+++\+++

Emily looked around as they trudged down a slippery hillside that the continuous drizzle made more treacherous with every passing second. Hotch and Rossi were in the lead, followed by Morgan and Reid, with Emily bringing up the rear. The woods around them was a collection of blacks and grays, and at the bottom of the gorge there was a collection of florescent work lights, making the bodies of the techs and other personnel scouring the scene look like specters haunting the site. It was altogether eerie and beautiful, and something that, unfortunately, was entirely too familiar.

"Any word on if they've found more bodies?" Morgan asked, deftly reaching out and catching Reid before the awkward genius fell onto his backside and slid the rest of the way down the hill.

"Not that I've heard," Hotch answered, his eyes trained on the shifting earth beneath his feet as he sidestepped down the slope.

Morgan shot Emily a look over his shoulder and she nodded. She had a feeling they'd find more too.

"You okay, Reid?" Emily asked, shooting him a concerned look.

"Fine. Fine," Reid muttered.

"Looks like they haven't removed the remains yet," Morgan observed as they neared the bottom of the slope.

"Better for us," Rossi said, pushing ahead to get the first look at what their unsub had left for them. He lived for the puzzle, the hunt, and he had a feeling that this case was going to be a good one.

The team assembled themselves in a loose semi-circle around the collection of black trash bags. Some were ripped open, most likely by scavengers, while others showed the clean, crisp lines of being cut by a knife or scissors. No matter how they were opened, each of the twenty bags revealed a similar sight. A bruised and lacerated leg, foot attached, some toenails painted, some not, severed at the head of the femur and again at the knee and stuffed into a bag in two pieces. An arm, also bruised and battered, complete and intact, severed neatly at the bulbous head of the humerus. An obviously female torso covered in cuts and burns. Not one of these women had died a peaceful death. Each and every one of them had been tortured extensively before they'd been killed.

"Agent Hotchner," a gruff voice interrupted their thoughts. The team looked up to see a beast of a man, who looked more like a lumberjack than a detective, approach them. "Bill Hanson. Thanks for coming out here."

"Of course," Hotch said as he shook the burly man's hand.

"Where are the heads?" Reid asked.

"Haven't found them yet," Hanson answered. "Our guys scouring the woods around here with cadaver dogs looking for them, but we haven't found anything yet."

The team shared a look and Emily said what they were all thinking. "Do you think he keeps the heads as trophies?"

Hotch looked down at the collected body-parts and sighed. "Too early to say at this point," he said before he turned his attention to Hanson. "What can you tell us about this area?"

"Well," Hanson drawled with a shrug, "there are a handful of trails around here that all feed into each other that are popular with runners and hikers."

"Multiple possible points of entry," Morgan muttered.

"Is the lot we parked in, down the hill-" Reid pointed, "-the closest to this scene?"

"It is," Hanson confirmed.

"We walked at least a quarter-mile," Emily said. "He would have had to make multiple trips to get each of these bodies down here."

"I was told your medical examiner called in a forensic anthropologist," Hotch said. "Has he arrived?"

"She has. That's her down there," he said, pointing at a woman with a shock of gray hair who was bent over one of the gravesites. "Doctor Helena Wells."

Hotch nodded. "Right. Reid, Prentiss, I want you two to go talk to Doctor Wells and get her opinion of possible PMI so we have some kind of a window to get working with. Detective Hanson, when do you think these remains will be moved to a lab?"

"Hold on and let me find out for ya," Hanson said as he lifted his fingers to his lips and let loose a shrill whistle, causing every head to turn toward him. "Randy! C'mere!"

A bald-headed man who was standing beside the woman Hanson pointed out as Doctor Wells looked up and waved. The team watched him nod a greeting to Prentiss and Reid as they passed, and before long he was standing in front of them and pulling off the latex gloves he was wearing to shake their hands.

"Randy McMullen," he said as he shook first Hotch's hand, and then Rossi's and Morgan's.

"Doctor McMullen," Rossi said. "How much longer do you think you're going to leave these remains out here?"

"We thought you would want to see them as close to _in_ _situ_ as possible, so we left them here. Doctor Wells and I are ready to get working whenever you're finished," the medical examiner said.

"We appreciate the thought. You can call your team and have them start moving these out," Hotch said. "Do you think you'll be able to pull prints on any of them?"

"One for sure, possibly another, but the other two are showing signs of slipping so I don't know if I'm going to be able to get anything from them."

"All right. Let us know what you find," Hotch said. "Morgan, I want you, Reid, and Prentiss to check other possible entrances and exits to this area. Rossi and I will go back and meet up with JJ. We'll meet you three at the precinct when you're finished."

Morgan groaned inwardly at the thought of hiking around the park in the rain, even as he nodded his understanding. "You got it."

"Call us if you find anything," Hotch said as he waived Rossi along after him.

On the other side of the site, Emily looked up from her conversation with the forensic anthropologist to see Hotch and Rossi start back up the muddy slope to the main trail and she frowned thoughtfully even as Doctor Wells continued to rattle on about decomposition rates of buried limbs in the Pacific Northwest. She'd gotten the gist of the anthropologist's meaning after the first few minutes – there was no set table for decomposition and that she'd have to estimate based on past experience.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Wells," Emily said, interrupting the energetic woman's lecture about local scavengers. "When you have a window for PMI on each of these victims, could you just give me a call?" she asked, not really asking at all, as she handed the older woman her card.

"Of course, Agent Prentiss," Doctor Wells nodded as she pocketed the card.

"Thank you, Doctor," Emily said with the politically-distant smile she'd perfected years ago as she waved Reid to follow her.

"Does the anthro have anything for us?" Morgan asked as Emily and Reid ducked under the tarp that was protecting the remains.

"Not yet," Emily said, shaking her head for emphasis. "It's going to be a wide window for all of them, just like we expected."

Morgan ran his hand over his head and groaned. "Great."

"Exactly," Emily agreed.

"Where are Hotch and Rossi?" Reid asked as he curiously looked around the site.

"They went back to meet up with JJ and head over to the precinct. We're supposed to check the other trails that go in and out of here to see if our unsub might have used a different path than the one we took."

"Does Hotch really think he would have hiked farther than necessary with these remains?" Emily asked.

"I think he wants to cover all his bases because this thing is going to start out rough and only get rougher," Morgan replied sagely.

"Should we split up?" Reid asked.

Emily looked at Morgan and they both shook their heads, each of them knowing how awkward the genius was when he was outside and both of them more than appropriately afraid of JJ's reaction should he get hurt under their watch.

"Nah, Reid, we'll stick together," Morgan said, shaking his head as he started down the path to their left. They had a lot of ground to cover, they needed to get moving.


	29. Part 2: Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

JJ bit her lip and looked out the tinted window of the SUV, watching the scenery pass by. Hotch was behind the wheel, and they were headed to the local precinct that they would be working out of for the duration of the case. Rossi was riding shotgun, which gave her the back seat to herself, and she was glad to be out of both of the profilers' line of observation for the time being. She did not know what it was about this case, but she was on edge. The idea of women being killed and dismembered was bad enough, but there was something else that had her worried. Call it gut instincts, call it intuition, call it whatever, she had a feeling about this case, and it was not a good one.

The press had been easy enough to manage since they had not been anywhere near the scene, and only had vague reports from officers who were either too shell-shocked or entirely too dim-witted to censor their remarks after they'd discovered the dismembered limbs. It took some smooth-talking and her trademark reassuring smile to make them believe her assurances that as soon as they had something that she'd hold a press conference sharing everything she knew, and that, for the time being, any and all details gleaned from the scene should be left out of their reports until the BAU team had a better idea of the unsub they were looking for.

All in all, it had been one of her more masterful performances, but she wished she could have seen Emily before she, Hotch, and Rossi had left the scene. She knew that Emily was busy, but she just felt like she needed to see her, to have that visual proof that Emily was okay.

+++/+++\+++

Reid groaned as he slipped for the fifth time on the increasingly unstable path. They had been wandering the paths surrounding the dumpsite for well over an hour, but none of them had seen anything to suggest that the unsub had taken a route other than the one they'd originally guessed.

"Derek," Emily called out softly as she waited for Reid to regain his feet, knowing that he would recognize her use of his first name as a signal for them to head back. Yes, Hotch wanted to cover all his bases, but they were not getting anything from this, and the last thing they needed was for Reid to injure himself badly enough that they would have to call in a rescue unit to help them get him out of there.

Morgan nodded at his partner, a silent confirmation that he understood what she was saying, as he directed his attention to Reid. "How you doing, buddy?"

"Fine. Fine," Reid answered distractedly, obviously upset with himself for not being able to keep up.

Emily smiled softly at his feeble attempt to swipe the mud from the seat of his pants as she said, "Guys, I'm getting tired. How about we head back and leave the rest of this to the locals."

"Sounds good to me," Morgan answered breezily.

"Oh, okay. Yeah," Reid said, looking relieved that he hadn't been the first to admit that he wanted to leave.

Emily winked at Morgan and turned to head down the path that would eventually lead them around the north end of the dump site, where it would branch off onto the main path they'd taken to get up to the area from the parking lot. It was a hike, but at least now they had a destination in mind instead of wandering aimlessly around the woods, looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. A task made impossibly more difficult because they were doing it in the dark.

"So, why do you think he dismembers them?" Reid asked, his tone thoughtful, when they finally hit the paved end of the trail near the parking lot.

"Make ID more difficult. Obscure the cause of death," Emily said, offering two of the most popular reasons among serial killers for doing so.

"The bags are what get me," Morgan said as he climbed behind the wheel of their SUV. "The bodies would decompose so much faster without the bags protecting them. Especially with the weather being what it is up here."

"They were probably to help transport the remains. But why go through the hassle to dismember bodies at all, if you're just going to dump them in the middle of a heavily-traveled national park?" Reid said.

Emily nodded. "Exactly. There are acres upon acres of forest around here that don't get used nearly to the extent of this park. It's like he went through all the work of hiding how he killed these women and trying to disguise their identities, and then just dumped them in the middle of town for somebody to find."

"Arrogance?" Morgan offered with a shrug as he pulled onto the highway.

"Maybe," Emily agreed thoughtfully.

+++/+++\+++

"Did you find anything?" Hotch asked without preamble as his three obviously tired, extremely muddy profilers trouped into the conference room JJ had secured for them at the back of the Beaverton Police Department.

Emily looked around the small space and sighed as she realized that JJ wasn't in the room. She had been looking forward to seeing JJ again, for no other reason than to reassure herself that the blonde was okay. "Nothing," she answered as she dropped into one of the old, tattered grey-blue swivel chairs that surrounded the rectangular conference table that anchored the room.

"He most likely used the same path we did to get to the site," Morgan added as he lowered himself into the chair to Emily's left. "The paths from the other parking lots were a lot steeper and he would have had to have walked at least twice as far."

"Thanks for checking on it," Hotch said, offering the trio a rare half-smile.

"How did JJ's press conference go?" Emily asked.

"Good," JJ answered as she swooped into the room, balancing two cardboard trays full of coffee in her hands.

"Oh, Jayje, I love you," Morgan groaned as he reached for one of the coffees. After traipsing around the woods for over an hour in the rain, the coffee smelled absolutely delicious.

"Yeah," Reid said as he reached for the white cup that had his name scribbled on the side.

Emily just smiled at JJ as she took her cup from the tray, telling the blonde with her eyes how thankful she was for the coffee and how much she truly did love her.

JJ returned Emily's smile, and felt the weight that had settled on her chest ever since they had separated at the scene lift when she saw for herself that Emily was okay. "You guys are acting like you've been out hiking in a rain-storm or something," she teased as she pulled her cup from the tray. She sat down in the chair to Emily's right, discreetly turning herself so she could run the top of her foot up the back of Emily's calf.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Morgan muttered. "Did you guys find out anything? Is there any word from the ME?"

"They're still transporting the remains to the morgue," Hotch shared as he took his coffee and handed one to Rossi. "Results probably won't be in until the morning. I thought we could run through what we have now, get a preliminary profile working, and then we can head over to the hotel for the night and everybody can go get some dinner. We'll hit this thing hard in the morning."

The team nodded their agreement and relaxed back in their chairs as Hotch picked up a black Expo marker and moved over to the whiteboard at the end of the table.

"So, what do we know?" Hotch asked, uncapping the pen and preparing to transcribe the team's thoughts onto the board.

"He has to be fit," Emily said. "Those bags were carried all the way down that hill into the gully. They weren't tossed or rolled down, which means he'd have to be able to traverse hilly, rocky terrain with them. Even if he took only one at a time to cut the weight of his load, that's still a lot of trips."

"He's familiar with the terrain," Morgan added. "He most likely runs or hikes in the park. Plus having the remains buried in the middle of it would allow him to visit the site whenever he wanted."

"The fact that he buried them in that particular park versus one that isn't used as heavily signifies either a disregard for police, or an arrogance that even if they were discovered, he wouldn't be caught," Reid piped up, elaborating on Morgan's theory from earlier.

"The missing heads are still bugging me," Emily said, bringing up what, to her, was the most disturbing part of this case so far.

"Maybe he disposed of them somewhere else on the idea that it would make identification more difficult," Rossi said.

"You'd think that, at that point, he'd take their hands as well," Reid said thoughtfully.

"We'll figure it out," Rossi said determinedly. "There's an understanding of human anatomy evident in the dismembered remains. The limbs were all severed neatly around the head of the femora and humeri. That takes knowledge and precision to execute."

"A doctor?" Emily mused.

"Nurse, physical therapist," Morgan added more possible professions that required knowledge of human anatomy.

"We may be on to something with that," Hotch said as he scribbled 'Medical Field?' onto the board.

"We'll know more after we get the autopsy reports in the morning, but for now this is something we can work with," he said as he pulled out his phone and pulled up Garcia's number. As the phone rang, he switched it to speaker and set it down on the middle of the table.

_"You've reached Penelope Garcia in the FBI's Office of Supreme Genius."_

Emily chuckled and took a drink of her coffee to hide her smile as Hotch rolled his eyes.

"Would it be too much for you to answer your phone normally?" Hotch asked.

_"Yes, sir, I believe it would,"_ Garcia answered cheerfully. _"So, what can I do you for?"_

"I need you to create a preliminary list of local medical professionals, both currently active and those who have had their licenses revoked, paying special attention to those in a surgical field."

_"You think the whack-job doing this is a doctor?" _Garcia squeaked.

"We don't know yet, baby girl," Morgan said as he leaned over the table. "Just see what you can dig up for us."

_"For you, my chocolate Adonis, of course,"_ Garcia replied sweetly. _"You want me to send it to your PDA's when I got it?"_

"That'll work," Hotch said with a nod. "Right now, we're waiting on autopsy reports to give us a better idea of what we're looking for, so we're going to head to the hotel, check-in, and grab some dinner. After you've compiled the list and sent it over, you can go home as well. We'll be starting bright and early tomorrow."

_"Will do, oh captain my captain,"_ Garcia chirped before hanging up.

Emily smiled and nodded. "I always liked that poem," she muttered.

"Whitman, right?" JJ murmured.

"Yes," Reid jumped in with an excited smile. "He actually wrote it after President Lincoln was assassinated. The multiple references to a 'fearful trip' are really about the Civil War and…"

"Thank you, Reid," Rossi interrupted the genius's lecture before he could really gather steam.

"Sorry," Reid apologized.

"Right," Hotch drawled as he turned to carefully set the marker he'd been holding down onto the tray on the whiteboard. "Let's get going."

+++/+++\+++

JJ handed out the room keys with the smooth, effortless ease of a blackjack dealer in Vegas and after each of the guys had been handed a key and had meandered off to find their rooms, she turned to Emily and smiled. "You ready?"

Emily arched her brows questioningly and held out her hand, playfully wiggling her fingers at JJ. "Sure. Do I get a key?"

"Nope," JJ retorted with a toss of her hair as she turned toward the elevators. "You're with me."

Emily smiled and hurried into a half-jog to catch up to JJ so she could whisper in her ear, "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," JJ agreed softly, reaching out to give Emily's hand a quick squeeze as they joined Morgan and Reid at the elevators.

"You guys want to get some dinner after we ditch our gear?" Morgan asked.

"Sure," Reid answered automatically.

Emily looked at JJ and could see that while she _would_ go, she would rather not. She could not tell if it was exhaustion or something else that was making JJ reluctant to go out with the guys, but she knew that if JJ wanted to stay in, she was more than willing to spend what was left of the evening alone with her. "I think we'll just order some room service or something," she said.

"No problem," Morgan drawled, giving Emily a knowing smirk as he sauntered into the elevator that had just arrived. "Reid, whatcha in the mood for?"

"I'm good with anything," Reid answered.

"Wanna just go grab a burger or something?" Morgan offered, glancing at his watch.

"Sounds good to me," Reid agreed as the elevator came to a stop at the third floor.

"You guys sure you want to stay in?" Morgan asked when the elevator stopped at their floor and they all spilled out of the car.

Emily nodded, glancing over at JJ, who still looked like there was something bothering her. It was subtle enough that she was certain she was the only one of the group to pick up on it, but it was there. "Yeah."

"All right. We'll see you bright and early," Morgan said, giving the couple a small wave as he stopped in front of his door. "Reid, I'll meet you back at the elevators in a couple minutes?"

Reid nodded and headed off down the hall in search of his own room, as JJ opened up hers and Emily's door that was directly across the hall from Morgan's.

"Goodnight," Emily said to her partner as she walked into their room. She closed and locked the door, and turned to find JJ sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her with worry-filled blue eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked gently as she dropped her bag beside the armoire and settled onto the bed beside the blonde.

JJ rolled her eyes, both loving and hating the fact that Emily could read her so well. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, just wanting that tactile reassurance that Emily was safe, needing to feel the warmth of her lover in her arms. "I dunno," she murmured into the curve of Emily's neck. She sighed, a sense of calm sweeping over her as the familiar scent of Emily's shampoo surrounded her. "I just have a bad feeling about this one."

Emily sighed and wrapped her arms around JJ's waist, pulling her onto her lap as she pressed her lips to blonde silk. She could offer JJ general platitudes about how she would be safe and that everything would be fine, but she knew that sometimes there were cases that just felt wrong from their very outset, and she recognized the fact that this was just one of those cases for JJ. "Do you know why?"

"No. There's nothing but this sense of…"

"Wrongness," Emily offered knowingly.

JJ nodded. "Yes. Be careful out there?"

"I always am," Emily said, biting her lip at the feeling of JJ smiling against her neck. "Okay, I sometimes am. But I'll try my best this time so that way you don't have to worry."

"Thank you," JJ said softly.

"No problem, sweetheart," Emily murmured, sighing as she hooked her index finger under JJ's chin and lifted the blonde's lips to her own. "I love you," she whispered.

JJ hummed softly at the feeling of Emily's breath falling across her lips. "I love you," she breathed as she closed that final distance that was separating them to claim Emily's lips in a slow, lingering kiss.

Emily licked her lips when they eventually pulled apart, and reached up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind JJ's ear. "Why don't you go take a shower while I order us some dinner. We can see if there's a movie or something on while we eat," she said gently, wanting to see the blanket of fear that was clouding JJ's normally bright blue eyes disappear. "Then we can just cuddle in bed and go to sleep early."

JJ licked her lips and nodded, automatically getting to her feet and pulling her pajamas and toiletry kit from her bag. "That'll work. I'm not that hungry, so don't get me anything big," she said as she piled a pair of clean underwear onto her clothes.

"A sandwich? Salad?" Emily asked as she scanned through the room service menu.

"Sandwich would be good," JJ said, glancing over her shoulder at Emily as she dumped her stuff onto the bathroom counter. Her heart still felt heavy with dread and she could tell that Emily knew it as well. "You wanna join me?"

"You know I do," Emily said with a smile. "But you also know that I shouldn't."

JJ nodded. She did know that they shouldn't shower together, because a shared shower never ended with them _just_ showering and that they had agreed to restrict themselves to first-base territory while they were out in the field. It was their way of upholding their promise to Hotch to remain professionals while they were representing the FBI and the BAU out in the field. But a larger part of her did not particularly care about professionalism at the moment. In this moment, she wasn't SSA Jareau asking SSA Prentiss, she was simply JJ, asking her girlfriend to make her feel safe. "Please?"

Emily could see that JJ really did need her, so she nodded. "Just let me place this order and I'll be in there."

JJ smiled. "Thank you."

Emily bit her lip as she got to her feet and crossed the small room to where JJ was leaning against the bathroom doorframe. "No thanks necessary," she whispered, noticing the way JJ's shoulders seemed to relax as she reached out to cradle her face in her palm. "Go get the shower started, babe. I'll be right there," she said softly, punctuating her gentle command with a chaste, tender kiss, stepping back after a moment and allowing JJ to disappear into the bathroom.

She picked up the phone to the sound of the shower turning on, and she rubbed her hand over her face as she placed their order, nodding to herself as she listened to it repeated back to her. "If nobody answers the door, could you please just leave the cart in the hall? … Perfect," she sighed, nodding again. "No, that is all. Thank you."

Emily carefully set the handset into its cradle. She quickly stripped off her clothes, taking the time to fold them neatly and set them on the dresser, before she padded into the bathroom. The large plate-glass mirror above the sink was already beginning to fog as she crossed the small space, and when she pulled back the shower curtain, she was hit first with a wall of steam, and then the realization that JJ was standing beneath the beating spray, her arms wrapped around her waist, crying.

"Oh sweetie," she murmured as she hopped into the tub, yanking the curtain closed behind herself. She pulled JJ into her, one hand wrapping around the younger woman's waist and the other tangling itself in the blonde's wet hair. "Baby, baby," she groaned, rocking them both gently from side to side. "What's wrong, Jen?"

JJ's arms snaked under Emily's, and she clung desperately to her. "I don't know," she answered in a quiet, broken voice.

Emily swallowed thickly, and pulled JJ in closer, blinking back her own tears as she held JJ. She rubbed her hands up and down JJ's back, her fingers gliding effortlessly over smooth, wet skin as she continued to rock lightly from one foot to the other. She pressed her lips against JJ's ear, murmuring nonsensical words of reassurance until the younger woman's crying eventually began to ease. "Better?" she asked hesitantly.

JJ bit her lip and nodded. "Sorry."

"Never be sorry for feeling, Jennifer," Emily murmured, pulling back and gently wiping JJ's tears away.

"I don't know why I just started crying," JJ said, looking off to the side embarrassedly. "I never just lose it like this in the beginning of a case."

"Every case is different," Emily said gently. "Look at me, Jennifer," she urged, smiling softly when watery blue eyes landed on her own. "I promise you, I will be careful. We will catch this guy, and then we'll be back home before you know it, arguing over paint colors and you pointing out all the spots I missed because it was my first time ever painting anything that wasn't a canvas."

JJ laughed softly and nodded. "I know."

Emily smiled and dipped her head to capture JJ's lips in a slow, sweet kiss. "I love you, Jennifer," she breathed, kissing her again softly for emphasis.

JJ nodded and lifted her chin to claim Emily's lips in another kiss. "Show me?"

She was answered with a low groan as strong hands curved around her hips and spun her around so that her back was pressed against the cold tile wall. Her head fell back with a quiet thud as Emily lifted her left leg up over the brunette's hip and then deft, masterful fingers were sliding through her, rubbing light circles against her clit. She moaned softly and rocked her hips into the touch, wanting more, needing to be consumed by Emily.

Emily peppered JJ's neck with soft nips, licks, and kisses as her fingers rubbed, circled, pinched below. She would occasionally dip her fingers down to gather more arousal before returning to JJ's clit and spreading it around, teasing the bundle of nerves from its hood until every touch sent electric shivers through JJ's body.

"Please, Em," JJ begged, rocking her hips into Emily's fingers. "Oh god, baby, yes," she sighed when long fingers pressed inside her, stroking slow and deep, curling, twisting, and scissoring until she could think of nothing but Emily. Could feel nothing but the pleasure Emily was giving her.

It was everything she needed.

"I have you, sweetie," Emily husked against JJ's mouth, punctuating her statement by flicking her tongue over the blonde's lips. "I love you so very much, Jennifer," she murmured, kissing her softly.

JJ groaned as Emily's words pushed her over the edge, sending slow rolling waves of release coursing through her body. It wasn't the most powerful orgasm she'd ever had, but it was everything she needed in that moment. Love. Reassurance. Safety. Warmth. Emily. She buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck and sighed. "I love you," JJ whispered, her words falling in hot waves over Emily's skin.

Emily smiled softly, dropping a lingering kiss to JJ's brow. "I love you too, Jennifer. I love you too."


	30. Part 2: Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Emily smiled as she leaned back against the dresser, which gave her a perfect view into the dressing area of their bathroom, and watched JJ lean closer to the large mirror to put the finishing touches on her makeup for the day. She bit her lip as blue eyes studied a beautiful face for any imperfections, and she had to fight the urge to close the small distance separating them and wrap her arms around her. She wanted to do it, to wrap her arms around that tiny waist she so adored and nuzzle her lips against the side of JJ's neck, but she knew she that this was not the time. But that didn't stop her from wishing she could. Or thinking about it, and many other things. Like the shower they had shared the night before, full of lingering, comforting touches, and soft, reassuring kisses meant to soothe rather than arouse. She loved making love to JJ, but she also cherished the part of their relationship that allowed them to reassure the other with a touch, a kiss. The shower had done wonders for easing JJ's unease and, after dinner, they'd fallen into bed, JJ's head resting comfortably on her chest. It did not take long for JJ to fall asleep, her hand twisted into the material of Emily's sleep shirt as if to make sure that Emily wouldn't leave her.

Unbeknownst to Emily, JJ had noticed that she was being watched not long after she'd started applying her makeup. She purposefully lingered at the vanity, taking more time with her routine than usual as she surreptitiously watched Emily out of the corner of her eye. JJ loved the way the profiler's eyes would grow warm and distant the longer she watched her, and, as this was a fairly regular occurrence for them, she could not help but wonder what, exactly, her girlfriend was thinking about when she got like that.

Emily knew that she was caught the moment she saw JJ lick her lips seductively into the mirror, but she didn't move an inch. She just watched, enjoyed the show, and thought to herself, _I'm gonna marry that girl someday_.

JJ couldn't put her finger on what had changed about Emily's demeanor, but she could tell that an unmistakably serious thought just floated through her lover's head. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked softly as she started repacking her makeup bag in case they had to leave quickly later.

"They're worth a lot more than that, Jennifer," Emily murmured, her voice warm and smooth as honey.

The tenor of Emily's voice drew JJ's attention away from her makeup kit, and her breath caught in her throat when her gaze landed on a pair of smoldering mahogany eyes. "Em?"

Emily smiled and shook her head. She was not ready to share her thoughts just yet. "We need to get going soon," she said softly.

Knowing that Emily would tell her when the brunette was ready, JJ nodded. "That's fine. I'm done."

"Then come here," Emily said, pushing herself up onto her feet and holding her arms out invitingly.

JJ bit her lip and walked into Emily's embrace, sighing contentedly as strong arms wrapped around her. Her worries from the night before were still there, lurking in the back corner of her mind, but they were put at ease by the feeling of warm hands flush against her back and soft lips pressed against her forehead. "I love you," she whispered.

Emily smiled and pulled back enough to look into JJ's eyes as she murmured, "I love you too, sweetheart."

+++/+++\+++

The Beaverton Police Department was abuzz with activity due to the shift change that was taking place. JJ shook her head as she was jostled, yet again, by an unseeing patrol officer as she carried two cups of coffee back to the conference room where the team was gathered. She pushed the levered door handle down with her elbow, eased the door open with her shoulder, and sighed with relief when she escaped the hub of activity outside.

The team was gathered around the table, each of them focused on the list of doctors and other medical professionals that Garcia had sent over, trying to see if there was anyone who stood out as a potential unsub. So far, they had found nothing, and they all knew that they needed something more to give them an idea of how to find their unsub.

That something came in the form of a name an hour and a half later, when the Medical Examiner's report came over the fax machine. Two names, actually, that belonged to two of the women recovered.

The reports were predictably detailed. Every cut, bruise, burn, and wound was recorded and catalogued to show the extreme torture and horror the women suffered. In fact, it appeared that the only indignity not forced upon them was rape – not one of the women showed signs of being sexually violated.

"So his enjoyment is the pain itself," Rossi murmured as he closed his file thoughtfully.

Hotch nodded. "Garcia ran the names of the two women identified and got us a rough timeline. Molly Warner was reported missing three weeks ago, Trinity Tucker was reported missing one week ago. As they were the two fresher bodies out there, we can assume that he keeps them for a while before killing them."

"Any PMI from the forensic anthropologist?" Morgan asked.

"Her report is at the back of the file," Reid answered helpfully. "Her best estimation has Molly Warner's PMI at anywhere from one to two weeks. For Trinity Tucker she estimates somewhere from one to four days."

"What about the other women?" Emily asked, as she flipped to the back of her file to see the report Reid was referring to.

"Jane Doe 1 had a window of anywhere from four to six weeks, and Jane Doe 2 had a PMI window of five to nine weeks," Reid reported from memory.

"Makes sense," Emily murmured. She frowned thoughtfully and flipped to the pictures at the front of the file. "This level of torture takes time. It's not something that can be done in a few hours."

"So he pretty much dumps one and picks up another," Morgan added. "Do you think he has another woman right now?"

Rossi nodded. "I would say the odds of that are very high, yeah."

JJ looked at the pre-mortem photographs of their two identified victims that Garcia had sent over, and realized why she had had such a bad feeling about this case. Each of the women had alabaster skin, expressive brown eyes, and shoulder-length dark brown, almost black, hair.

"You know, these girls look an awful lot like Prentiss," Morgan said. He tossed his file onto the table, and glanced around the group to see if anyone else had noticed the resemblance as he picked up the photographs of the two women they now had identities for.

Hotch had seen the realization hit JJ before Morgan had mentioned it, and he pursed his lips thoughtfully as he quickly considered what extra precautionary measures the team would need to take. He caught Rossi's eye across the table and nodded minutely, each man understanding that they would need to keep an eye on Prentiss during this case and, by default, JJ as well.

The Unit Chief cleared his throat as he looked away from his friend to focus the weight of his attention on the two women sitting at the table. "Yes. There is enough of a resemblance between these two victims to assume that our unsub has a definite type that he focuses on."

JJ bit her lip to keep from saying anything. She knew that this happened. That there were times when members of the team would be a match for an unsub's victimology – more often than not she was the type the killer preferred, there was something about blonde-haired, blue-eyed women that seemed to attract a lot of attention – but knowing that it happened didn't mean that she had to be happy about it. This was _her_ Emily they were talking about.

The resemblance had not escaped Emily either, and she sighed as she felt JJ tense up beside her. But, before she could do or say anything to reassure her, Hotch spoke up.

"Emily, just to be safe, you're not to go anywhere on your own for this case."

Emily shrugged and nodded her understanding. They only split-up in extreme circumstances anyways, so she was not terribly offended by the protective gesture. Lord knows she had done more than her share of looking out for JJ over the years when the blonde fit the victimology profile.

"Right, I want to make sure the families of these women know what happened before their names hit the press. Prentiss, JJ, take the Warners," Hotch said, wisely pairing the two women together so JJ could feel as if she were protecting Emily. "Morgan, you and Rossi take the Tuckers. Reid, I want you trying to figure out a geographical profile. I'll work with Garcia to compile a list of missing persons who match the profile of the other victims that were reported around the windows for our Jane Does and also any and all missing persons from the area that have been reported in the last few days that also match."

The team broke apart, JJ and Emily walking out of the room with Morgan and Rossi as the foursome headed toward the teams SUVs that were parked out front. JJ climbed into the passenger seat of the second car, and watched as Emily rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed behind the wheel.

It was obvious to Emily that JJ was on edge, but she also knew that the blonde needed to come to terms with her thoughts before they could really talk about them. It was one thing to walk into a case recognizing the evil inherent in the acts and doing everything in your power to stop the monster responsible for them, but it was quite another to walk willingly into the lion's den knowing that the person you loved could conceivably be the monster's next victim. Emily had been forced to work through this emotional dilemma on their last case in Arizona, where the victims were all blonde-haired, blue-eyed, women, but this was JJ's first time having to deal with the harsh reality that there would be times when Emily might be in more danger than the rest of the team, simply because of her appearance.

They had been driving for perhaps five minutes when JJ finally spoke, shattering the silence that had surrounded them. "You look just like those women."

Emily nodded. There was no point denying it. "I do," she agreed softly.

JJ bit her lip and nodded. Part of her was glad that Emily wasn't trying to downplay the resemblance, but it did nothing to ease the fear that had coiled itself around her heart. "I don't like it."

Emily sighed under her breath and she reached across the console, palm up, waiting for JJ to take her hand. When JJ did, she lifted their joined hands to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of JJ's knuckles. "I know, sweetheart. But I will be careful, just like I promised you last night."

"I know. I just can't… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"You're not going to lose me," Emily soothed. "Jennifer, I'm right here, sweetheart."

JJ closed her eyes and nodded. She knew that Emily had promised to be careful, and that Hotch had all but ordered the brunette not to go anywhere alone, but that didn't make her worry any less. She had learned early on in her tenure at the BAU to trust her gut – and her gut was not liking this case one bit. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jen." Emily smiled sadly and brushed her lips over JJ's knuckles. "It'll be fine. I'll be fine. We'll find this guy and be back in D.C. before you know it."

JJ licked her lips and nodded minutely as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest. "I hope you're right."

+++/+++\+++

Emily took a deep breath and held it for a minute before she lifted her hand and delivered three hard, quick knocks to the Warners' front door. This was the part of her job that she hated. She absolutely loathed showing up at a victim's family's home and telling them that their loved-one was, indeed, gone. She offered the gray-haired man who opened the door her best warm-yet-distant smile, her instincts telling her that he was Molly Warner's father. The man was dressed in a pair of jeans that were well-kept and clean but slightly baggy, indicating that he had lost weight recently, and it didn't take her experience as a profiler to guess that the cause of that weight loss was worry over his daughter. At least now he did not have to worry any more. That thought was in no way a consoling one, because the fact remained that Molly Warner was dead, her body currently arranged on an autopsy table like a jigsaw puzzle, but it was all that was left.

"How can I help you?" the man asked, as he eyed the women on his porch with a skeptical eye.

Emily cleared her throat. "Michael Warner?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Warner, I'm Emily Prentiss," she said, flipping her badge open to show him her ID, "and this is Jennifer Jareau. Sir, we're with the FBI."

"Is this about my Molly?"

"Yes sir, it is. Would it be okay if we came inside?" Emily asked gently.

He nodded and backed away from the door. "Of course. Should I get my wife?"

"Yes, sir," JJ answered, her voice warm and soothing as she gave the man a small, sad smile. "It would be best if we could speak to both of you at the same time."

"Right. Well, if you could just wait here, I'll go get her. She's in the kitchen," he said, turning on his heel and leaving the agents standing in the foyer.

JJ and Emily silently looked around, their eyes taking in the dust on the furniture, the collection of pictures of Molly that were spaced around the entry. From the pictures they could tell that Molly was an only child, a very loved, cherished, and slightly spoiled – if the pictures of the girl sitting on the hood of a shiny red convertible were any indication – only child, and that made the news they were about to deliver that much more difficult.

"Molly?" a quiet, hopeful voice asked from behind Emily, and when the brunette turned with a sad smile on her face, she saw Molly Warner mother's face crumble.

"No ma'am," Emily answered respectfully with a small shake of her head. "My name is Emily Prentiss, I'm a profiler with the FBI."

"Jane Warner. You're a profiler," Jane Warner repeated, her eyes growing confused. "Do you know what happened to Molly?"

Emily bit her lip and nodded. "We do. Perhaps we should sit down?" she suggested, waving a hand at the living room that was just to their left.

"Of course," Jane Warner said softly as she shuffled into the room, lowering herself carefully to the very edge of a cushion on an outdated floral print sofa. "Where's Molly?" she asked, looking up at the two women who were looking down at her with pity evident in their eyes.

Emily looked at JJ for support before she answered, drawing strength from her lover's gaze. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Molly's body was found last night off a hiking trail in Everwood Park."

"Her body…" Michael Warner repeated.

"She's dead?" Jane Warner asked.

"Yes ma'am." Emily nodded, slipping her hands into the pockets of her coat so that she didn't reach for JJ's hand as the Warners reacted as one would expect, with looks of shock and despair, which turned quickly to tears.

JJ noticed the way Emily's hand twitched toward hers and she stepped in closer to her, discreetly placing her hand at the small of Emily's back for support. She had done enough of these over the years to know that this was something that never got any easier, no matter how many times you had the grim job of delivering the unfortunate news.

"Can we… can we see her?" Michael Warner asked, wrapping his arms around his wife, who was crying into his shoulder.

Emily licked her lips and shook her head. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think that's something you want to do. You should remember Molly as she was, not as she is now."

"What happened to her? What happened to my Molly?" Jane Warner cried.

JJ gave the Warners a small, sad smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Warner, Molly was abducted, tortured, and killed," she said, opting to, for now, leave out the fact that she was dismembered and that they still haven't found her head. What she had said was already too much information, but she knew they would need to know some of what had happened to their daughter so they would believe Emily's assurance that they really didn't want to see her right now. "We found the bodies of four other women in the same area as your daughter's, and we need to ask you a few questions about the last time you saw Molly because there is another woman who is missing that we haven't found yet."

Understanding dawned on Michael Warner's face. "Molly's one of the… she was who they were talking about on the news?"

"Yes, sir," JJ answered.

Jane Warner let out a strangled sob as she jumped to her feet, rushing out of the room without a backwards glance. JJ and Emily watched the woman go, both of them debating and discarding the idea of following her. The woman was hysterical, she was not going to be able to give them any information at this point and they could do very little to make her feel better.

"Do you need to follow her?" Emily asked politely.

Michael Warner nodded and got to his feet. "I should. You said you had some questions about the last time we saw Molly?"

"Yes, sir. But if now's a bad time…" Emily said, letting her voice trail off. There was no real reason to finish that sentence because it was, of course, a bad time, but there wasn't ever going to be a good time for this particular discussion.

He nodded understandingly as he ran a shaking hand through his hair. "What do you need to know?"

"What was she doing the day she went missing?"

"She had school – she was a postdoc student at the University of Portland. Quantum Mechanics. She was at school probably fourteen to eighteen hours a day between her teaching schedule and her research. We only really saw her when she came home to sleep. If she even did that. Some nights she just slept in her office on campus."

"Did she have a cell phone?" Emily asked.

"Yes. One of the new iPhones. We got it for her for her birthday."

Emily nodded and made note to tell Garcia. "Did she have a boyfriend?"

Mr. Warner smiled and shook his head. "No. Boys weren't exactly her type."

"I see," Emily said, smiling slightly at his obvious acceptance of his daughter's orientation. "Then, a girlfriend, perhaps?"

"No. She wasn't dating anybody. Wanted to focus on her schoolwork. I really should go check on my wife now."

"Of course," Emily said as she pulled one of her business cards out of her wallet. "If you happen to think of anything else that you believe might help us understand where she was and what she was doing the day she was abducted, please give me a call. That's my cell phone on the bottom. Day or night, doesn't matter."

Michael Warner took the card and gave it a cursory glance before sliding it into his pocket. "Why do you need to know where she was abducted from?"

"It will help us understand the man who did this, so that we can catch him," Emily answered.

"If I think of anything, I'll give you a call. Thank you for coming out, agents," he said, dismissing the women with a nod, almost as if he forgot that _they_ were in _his_ house, as he went in search of his wife.

Emily chivalrously opened the front door for JJ to exit first. She followed her out onto the porch, closing the door after them, and finally allowed herself to reach out and take JJ's hand into her own. "Well, that sucked."

"Yeah," JJ murmured, squeezing Emily's hand gently. "It always does. You did well, though."

Emily squeezed JJ's hand and let it drop as they neared the car. "Thanks. Come on, let's get back to the precinct and see what the others have found out."


	31. Part 2: Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

The mood around the conference table was somber as the profilers studied the board that held what little information they had about their victims and their unsub. So far as they could tell, their unsub had yet to abduct another victim. A fact that they all found incredibly curious because it broke the pattern that he had previously established of dumping one victim and picking up another. If anything, he should be escalating. But he was showing an incredible amount of restraint, which made him all the more dangerous.

To add insult to injury, they had yet to find a point of commonality between Molly Warner and Trinity Tucker besides their appearance. Whereas Molly was a lesbian, Trinity had been engaged to a man. Molly was a student. Trinity managed a second-hand bookstore in downtown Portland. They had no common friends or acquaintances, and led completely different lives.

"We're missing something," Emily muttered, absently twirling her pen beside her head as she flipped through the file in front of her for what seemed like the thousandth time already.

Morgan nodded his agreement as he looked from the board to his notes and back again. "It would help if we knew who the other two women were. I wish Garcia would get back to us with their cell phone and credit card statements."

"Tell me about it," Emily sighed, leaning back in her chair as she looked out the door at JJ, who was deep in conversation with the Detective Hanson. The Communications Liaison was scheduled to hold a press conference in a little more than an hour's time, and she was busy hammering home what they, the BAU team, needed the department to do and say to help them find the unsub. From the looks of things, the detective was once again proving to be more of a hindrance than a help, even though he had been the one to call the BAU in to consult on the case.

Morgan looked up at his partner and frowned as he turned to see what she was looking at. "Is he still giving JJ a hard time?"

"Looks like it," Emily muttered, glaring daggers at the Detective. "Here comes Hotch."

"Looks like he has something," Morgan said as he spotted the sheaf of papers in the Unit Chief's hands.

"Hopefully something we can use." Emily sat up straighter in her chair and looked at their boss expectantly.

"We've narrowed down the possible identities of the first two victims," Hotch announced without preamble, handing Morgan and Prentiss copies of what he and Reid had managed to find.

"I'm impressed," Emily murmured, wasting no time flipping through the papers Hotch had given her.

"It wasn't hard, really," Reid said as he sat down beside Morgan. "Taking into account the estimated PMI and the fact that this unsub appears to have a definite type, we had Garcia pull any missing persons reported during each time frame where the woman matched the physical appearance of the other victims."

"Okay, so that gives us seven possible women," Morgan said.

"Right." Reid nodded.

Emily frowned. "Are we going to try and get DNA from their families to compare to the victims?"

Hotch nodded. "I've already sent detectives to the families of each of the women to try and collect a sample."

"Yeah, but even with a rush, DNA's going to take a few days to come back," Morgan said. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"We work this case as if each of those seven women are victims of our unsub as well," Rossi said, causing Morgan and Prentiss to jump. He had been so quiet behind them, that they had forgotten he was in the room.

"Did you find something new?" JJ asked as she rejoined the team, closing the door behind her.

"Possible IDs on the two Jane Does," Hotch answered. "We'll know more after we get DNA. Is everything scheduled for the press conference?"

JJ nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to do it on the front steps. Detective Hanson is going to have some of their guys set everything up."

"Good. Prentiss, Morgan, you're going to stand with JJ while she does the press conference."

JJ frowned, not liking the idea of putting Emily in front of the camera. "Sir?"

"I know, JJ," Hotch assured her. "Rossi, Reid, and I will all be standing off camera, watching to make sure she's safe. We need to try and jar this guy a bit, and I think having Emily on stage with you while you talk about the case might do it."

"And make her a target as well," JJ retorted. "Hotch-"

Hotch lifted a hand and tersely cut the blonde off. "JJ, the identities of Trinity Tucker and Molly Warner are going to be out there now that we've notified next of kin. Having Emily on stage will be an unspoken message to the public that the authorities are not backing down, and that we are certain that we will catch the unsub. It's no different than when I have you do the press conference when you match the victimology."

JJ sighed and nodded, knowing that he was right. "Yes, sir."

"We're not going to let anything happen to her," Hotch said in a gentler tone. "But we are here to do a job, and we need to do it."

JJ bit her lip and looked away, obviously chastised. "Right."

"Good. Now, if we approach this case with these new women as potential victims," Hotch addressed his team, turning the discussion off of the impending press conference and back to profiling, "we get a larger pool of possible connections. So, let's get digging."

+++/+++\+++

Five minutes before JJ's scheduled press conference, Emily was wandering the bustling corridors of the precinct searching for her. Hotch had sent her to retrieve the Communications Liaison, and she was grateful for the opportunity to check on the blonde. Detectives and uniformed officers passed by her in a blur, her keen brown eyes searching everywhere for a flash of blonde hair and a hint of pale skin, and she sighed with relief when she eventually found JJ in an abandoned interview room going over her notes. She opened the door silently and slipped inside, mindful of the fact that JJ was focused on her notes, and not wanting to startle the younger woman. "Jennifer?"

"Mmm." JJ nodded and held up a finger as she continued to read her script in a hushed whisper, testing the cadence of the words on her tongue. There were many tricks to holding a successful press conference, keeping a mask on your emotions was one, but there was also the tenor and pitch of the words spoken. They needed to fall quickly and easily, to convey a sense of surety that oftentimes did not exist, and she needed that message to get across more today than ever before. Not necessarily for the public, but for herself. She needed to believe that their team was only seconds away from catching this unsub.

Emily crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the door she had just entered through, and silently watched JJ go through her final preparations. The blonde was beautiful. Confident. Her black blazer and crisp white oxford made her look like a consummate agent. And that was all that anybody else who looked at would see. A cool, calm, collected FBI agent.

But she was not everybody else.

She saw the worry in JJ's eyes, the fear and the tension that made JJ's shoulders slump forward ever so slightly, as if the weight of the world were being carried upon them. Fingers tapping erratically against a thigh bespoke of anxiousness. Weight shifting from foot to foot said that she wanted to move. Possibly to run. To do _something_. To catch _someone_.

To protect her.

"Hey," JJ said, her voice soft when she turned to look at Emily once she'd finished rereading her notes.

"Hey," Emily said, remaining where she was but holding her arms out invitingly. "Mmm, baby," she sighed as JJ melted into her embrace.

JJ squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, pulling herself in closer. No words were spoken as they stayed there, arms wrapped around each other, JJ's head turned so that her forehead rested against the Emily's cheek. No words were needed to convey how much they loved each other. No words could come close to conveying that exact amount anyways, because it was not something that could be measured.

The longer JJ remained in Emily's arms, the more her fear and worry eased. It was still there, lurking in the background, but the warmth of Emily's embrace pushed it back. The feeling of Emily's lips against her forehead calmed her soul, and she cherished that connection, pulling herself in tighter in hopes of never losing it. She needed this. This silent understanding. This unspoken support. This unconditional and unflinching love.

A quiet, shuddering breath fell tremulously over her lips as Emily began pressing soft, lingering kisses down her cheek. She smiled a shy, ghost of a smile as she lifted her chin to meet those lips, and a she sighed as Emily's mouth finally descended upon her own, her lower lip fitting perfectly between Emily's in a chaste, lingering kiss.

"I love you," Emily whispered, nuzzling JJ's cheek as she pulled her in closer so that there wasn't a molecule of air between them.

"Love you," JJ murmured, a genuine smile lighting her face as she leaned in to capture Emily's lips in another kiss.

This one started slow and easy, much like the last, but a flick of a tongue across her lips had her opening her mouth, their heads slanting opposite each other as the kiss deepened. Tongues danced and dueled, tasted, stroked, and massaged, as their bodies pressed tighter together, hips shifting, legs sliding in a dance that was unconscious and instinctual. Emily gasped and grunted in surprise when JJ's hip pressed firmly against her, and she broke away from the kiss to look into smiling dark blue eyes.

"Sorry," JJ whispered, smirking slightly as she remained where she was. She had not intended to pin Emily against the door like she had, but she could not say that she didn't enjoy the feeling of Emily's body molded around her own.

Emily licked her lips and smiled as she took in JJ's flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. "Don't be," she whispered, lifting a gentle hand to carefully wipe off some of JJ's lip-gloss that had smeared.

JJ blushed and reached up to do the same for Emily, the pad of her thumb lingering against the corner of Emily's mouth as she stared into her eyes, seeing nothing but love and support shining back at her. "I love you." She knew that she had been saying those three words a lot lately, but she could not help herself. She needed to say the words, her heart felt like it was going to burst if she didn't, and she selfishly knew that she also said them to hear them back. Emily was her anchor, and she needed the support the brunette's love provided.

Emily smiled and dipped her head to kiss JJ tenderly. "I love you too, sweetheart," she murmured, her words falling in gentle waves upon JJ's lips before they were chased away with another soft, lingering kiss.

They were eventually pulled apart by a quick knock at the door, and JJ blushed as she regretfully stepped away from Emily's embrace. She ran her hands through her hair, smoothing any errant strands into place, and smiled at the brunette. "Do I look okay?"

Emily nodded. "Sweetheart, you always look stunning."

JJ rolled her eyes and smoothed her hands over her thighs, pressing out any wrinkles that might have developed during their impromptu make-out session. "Even in sweats?" she asked, as she turned and gathered her notes off of the table where she'd dropped them.

"Especially then," Emily assured her, as she opened the door. JJ brushed by her and she grinned as she added, in a hushed whisper, "Because you never wear panties with them, so I can just slip my hand inside and..."

JJ blushed and turned to shoot her lover an astonished look. "Emily!"

"Jennifer," Emily retorted. "You're beautiful. You're awesome. You have this, sweetheart – so go out there and knock 'em dead. I'll be right behind you the entire time."

Whatever chastisement was on JJ's lips died as the sincerity of Emily's words washed over her, and she realized that Emily was just making sure she was okay to go do her job. That she was loose and relaxed, so that she would project that calm, confident aura she needed on camera. "You're amazing," she whispered, furtively reaching for Emily's hand.

"Only when I'm with you," Emily said, squeezing JJ's hand quickly before letting it drop. "Let's go, Jareau. People are waiting."

+++/+++\+++

It was not long after JJ's press conference had ended that Garcia got back to the team with the last six months of credit card and cell phone statements for Molly Warner, Trinity Tucker, and the seven missing women who they believed might be their Jane Does. There were no calls made to the same number for any of the women, which led the team to believe that none of the women were in contact with the unsub prior to their disappearances, but Garcia had marked similar transactions on each of their credit card statements.

"So they all got coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters," Morgan said.

"And got books from Powell's Bookstore downtown," Reid said.

"Was that the bookstore Trinity managed?" Emily asked.

"No," Morgan answered, already versed on Trinity Tucker's bio because of having to notify her family. "She worked at Lyons Books on the other side of downtown."

"Do we have any information on these possible IDs?" Emily asked, smiling softly at JJ who had just walked into the conference room. "Jobs? Where they lived? Anything?"

"Right here," JJ said, as she dropped a stack of files onto the table in front of the profilers.

Morgan pushed himself up out of his seat to pull the pile closer. "You're awesome, Jayje."

"I know," JJ retorted, smiling at the burly profiler as she sat down in the empty chair to Emily's right. "So, do we have anything?"

"Coffee and books," Reid said.

"His two favorite things," Emily added, winking at the genius.

"And somebody else's too, if I'm not mistaken," JJ quipped, poking Emily playfully in the side. She nodded minutely when Emily looked questioningly at her, the 'are you okay?' question evident in her lover's expressive brown eyes. She was not okay, okay, but she was okay enough for now.

"You're right. Rossi likes that stuff too," Emily drawled.

"Or Emily Prentiss," JJ retorted.

"Or Emily Prentiss," Emily agreed, reaching out and squeezing JJ's knee gently. She glanced around the table at the other profilers and licked her lips. "So, are we going to run these down?"

Hotch nodded. "Yes. Because the two locations are within walking distance of each other, why don't the four of you got check them out. See what information you can find regarding the businesses, and if anyone recognizes any of the victims. Rossi and I will keep going over the information we have here, so one of us will be available if anyone who saw the press conference calls in with some information."

Emily looked at Morgan, who nodded, and the four younger agents got to their feet. They all shrugged on their coats, it was predictably drizzly outside, and headed for the cars. She paused in the doorway and tilted her head questioningly. "Want us to bring back coffee?"

Rossi looked up from the file he was reading and grinned. "Like you even have to ask."

"Right. Well, we'll be back in a bit, then," Emily told him. She turned to find JJ waiting for her, and she smiled at her as they fell into step beside each other, their hands brushing together every so often as they fought against their natural inclination to reach for the other.

They met up with Reid and Morgan at the first of the two black SUVs the Bureau had secured for the team, and Emily smiled at the men who took the front so that she and JJ could sit together in back. Normally she would ride shotgun with Morgan while Reid and JJ rode in back, but this case had her feeling overly protective of the blonde – even though she, herself, was the one who matched the victimology.

The moment the doors were closed around them, JJ snaked her hand into Emily's. She smiled when she felt Emily squeeze her hand gently, and she sighed when the profiler moved to twine their fingers together.

"Reid, punch the address for the book store into the GPS," Morgan said, as he started the car and pulled slowly out of the lot.

"I have a map," Reid argued, even as he punched the appropriate address into the car's built-in GPS.

Morgan just shook his head and glanced at the rearview mirror to check on the women in the back seat. "How are you two holding up with all of this?"

Emily pursed her lips and shrugged. She knew he was concerned about them, but this was something she and JJ needed to deal with on their own. "We're fine."

"Bullshit, Prentiss," Morgan drawled. "Jayje?"

"We're fine, Derek," JJ said in a soft voice. "Do you think our unsub saw the press conference?"

Reid nodded. "Yeah. The way he disposed of the remains tells us that he is arrogant, and believes that he won't be caught. He wouldn't pass up an opportunity to see what the police know, to reaffirm his belief that he is smarter than us."

"Great," JJ murmured.

Emily sighed and lifted her and JJ's joined hands to her lips so she could brush a soft kiss across the back of her knuckles. "We're good, Jen. These leads, the possible IDs on the initial victims… for being not even twenty-four hours into this thing, we're doing well. We'll catch him."

JJ worried her lower lip between her teeth as she turned to look at her lover. "I'm holding you to that."

"We'll get him, Jayje," Morgan spoke up from the front seat.

JJ just nodded as the car descended into silence, and Morgan tuned the radio to a local indie-pop station. He turned the music up louder to fill the conversational void, and pretended not to notice the way Emily was watching JJ, who was staring blankly out the window. He hated cases where one of them fit the victimology. While neither he nor the rest of the male profilers were showing the strain of the case nearly as much as JJ was, they all felt the pressure to hurry up and close this one out. To catch the unsub and get the fuck out of dodge.

It was one thing to hunt monsters. It was quite another to do it knowing that the monster you were hunting could, at any moment, decide to go after a member of your family.

They all took a collective breath as Morgan pulled into a parking space in the small, off-street lot behind Powell's books, each of them saying a silent prayer that they would find something they could use.

The interior of the bookstore was crowded with overflowing racks and smelled faintly of aged paper, no doubt from the thousands upon thousands of paperbacks lining the shelves. Reid knelt down in front of the glass display beneath the register to look at the books contained therein. Emily smiled at the man behind counter, and could not help but think that he certainly did not look the type to be working in a bookstore. He was big, taller than Morgan, with muscles that strained against the sleeves of his blue plaid flannel, and there was something off-putting about the way he was staring at her. She cast that last observation aside, labeling it as being a product of lingering tension. Knowing that you fit the victimology profile tended to make one a little paranoid.

"Hi there," Emily said, pulling her credentials out of her back pocket and flashing them at the clerk. "I'm Agent Prentiss. These are my colleagues Agents Jareau, Morgan, and Reid. Could we speak to the manager?"

The man glanced at the credentials in her hand and nodded. "Jack McCutcheon, at your service. I'm the manager and the owner of the store. What can I do for you, Agents?" he asked, not quite hiding the way he was leering at Emily.

Emily nodded as she felt JJ stiffen beside her. JJ had obviously picked up the same vibe she had about the man. "Do you recognize any of these women?" she asked, taking a small step back as Morgan set three pages that contained pictures of Molly Warner, Trinity Tucker, and the seven missing women who matched the victimology, down onto the counter in front of McCutcheon.

"Yeah. That one-" he pointed at Molly "-liked the sci-fi stuff. Nice girl. Smart. She was in here probably twice a week, selling back books and getting new ones." He ran his finger over the pages, lingering for a moment on each of the women's faces. "The rest of these girls all look familiar, but I can't place them."

Morgan nodded and glanced at Emily, who was eyeballing McCutcheon speculatively, and he turned his attention back to the man in front of them. "Are you the only one who works the counter here?"

"No. We're open from eight to midnight, Monday through Saturday, and ten 'til eight on Sunday. I have over a dozen employees. There is generally one person manning the till, and three working the floor – stocking books, organizing the merchandise, answering questions, what have you."

JJ nodded. "How many employees are working now?"

"Besides me? Four."

Emily looked at Morgan and nodded. "We'll need to speak with them, please." Emily said. "We'll also need the names of your other employees so that we can speak with them as well."

"Of course," McCutcheon replied, turning his attention away from the agents in front of him and onto his computer. "Blake and Ryan are in back sorting through a large collection that I just bought, and Rylie and Will should be stocking shelves somewhere," he said,

Morgan nodded and looked at Reid. "Reid, go have a look in back. Jayje…" his voice trailed off. He hated splitting up the two women, but McCutcheon was captivated by Prentiss for some reason, and he wanted to keep her with him to see what they could get out of the man.

JJ gave Morgan a look that threatened massive amounts of pain should anything happen to Emily, before she nodded and turned on her heel to find the two employees who should be working the floor.

The sound of a printer whirring to life marked the two agents' exit, and McCutcheon reached under the counter and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here is a list of my employees and their contact information."

Emily watched JJ disappear between the stacks, and sighed as she turned her attention back to McCutcheon. "Is there anything else you can think of ? Did you ever see anyone watching Ms. Warner? Did she always come in alone? Any details you could give us would be great."

McCutcheon shook his head and ran a meaty paw over his head. "Not really. Sorry."

Morgan around, spotting several obvious cameras placed around the perimeter of the store. "Where do you store your surveillance footage?"

"In the back," McCutcheon said, hitching a thumb toward the back of the store. "It's digital, but we clear the files every week. We get a few shoplifters every now and again, but that's it. There's never been a reason for us to keep the data longer."

Emily and Morgan groaned softly. That meant there would be no footage of Molly Warner's last visit, never mind the ones of the other women.

"Well, thank you for your time," Emily said, pulling her card out of her credential case and handing it over to McCutcheon. "If you think of anything else that might help us, please give me a call."

He looked at the card and smiled. "Will do, Agent Prentiss."

Emily had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the man and glanced quickly at Morgan, who she could tell was also annoyed by McCutcheon's overtures. "Excellent," she said, turning on her heel and walking quickly out of the store.

"What a slimeball," Morgan muttered, once they were back on the sidewalk. "He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was staring at you."

Emily licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah. I caught that too. Call Garcia and get her to run a search on the guy and see what she comes up with." She looked around for the coffee shop, finally spotting it two blocks down on the opposite side of the street. "If she finds something quickly, we can swing back by here and ask him a few more questions after we check out Stumptown."

The door to Powell's books opened behind them, spilling JJ and Reid onto the sidewalk, both of them shaking their heads.

"They didn't recognize any of the women," JJ said, sidling closer to Emily so that their arms were touching.

"The guys in back recognized Molly Warner, but that was it," Reid shared.

"We got a list of employees, we can send some detectives out to check on them later," Emily said.

"I'm going to have Garcia run a search on that McCutcheon guy – see if anything pops up on him," Morgan said, slipping his phone out of the holster on his hip and lifting the device to his ear.

Emily smiled at the sound of the Technical Analyst's voice pouring out of Morgan's phone, and bumped her shoulder against JJ's. "Coffee?"

JJ nodded and tucked her hand in the crook of Emily's arm. "Yeah."

They crossed the street quickly, Morgan trailing behind the other three as he spoke with Garcia, and they reached Stumptown Coffee Roasters a few minutes later. They went through the same song-and-dance routine as before, Emily taking the lead and asking questions while Morgan flashed the pictures and JJ and Reid watched the area around them.

The manager, an energetic woman in her early-twenties with flame-red hair and a nose ring, recognized Trinity Tucker, but none of the other women. Judging by the bustling business that the shop was doing even as they spoke, none of the agents found the fact odd. They did learn that it was commonplace for people to bring their new book purchases into the shop after visiting Powell's, but she couldn't remember anything in particular that stood out about Tucker. In fact, the only reason she remembered her at all was because the brunette was one of the first customers seen every day.

Morgan's phone had yet to ring again with news from Garcia by the time the foursome exited the shop, coffee in hand, plus two for Hotch and Rossi in a cardboard tray, so they crossed back to their SUV parked behind the bookstore and headed back to the precinct.

None of them noticed Jack McCutcheon tucked into the shadowed alcove of the bookstore's back entrance watching them leave.


	32. Part 2: Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

After their decidedly uninformative outing that afternoon, the team worked tirelessly well into the night, pouring through what information Garcia was able to find on each of their victims. The whiteboard was covered in different colored scribbles: names and locations circled, and lines drawn between the different details that they thought might be connected. So far, besides their universal dislike for McCutcheon at Powell's, they did not have anything. Garcia was still busy working her techno-magic back at Quantico, sifting through the list of employees from both the bookstore and the coffee shop to try and find the team something useful, and they hoped that there might be something in that mass of information that they might be able to use.

Because, right now, they were stuck.

Hotch took a deep breath as he looked around the conference table at his team. They were handling things well, especially with Emily fitting the victimology, but he could tell that the energy boost they had gotten from the pizza they ate for dinner earlier was gone. He that none of his agents would complain about staying at the precinct all night long, continuing to go over the notes that they had already read through a handful of times, but he also knew that being exhausted would not help them any. "Let's go ahead and call it a night. We can look at all of this again with fresh eyes in the morning."

Morgan looked up and frowned. "You sure, Hotch? We can go more."

"I'm sure," Hotch said. He glanced at his watch and sighed when he saw the time, and nodded thoughtfully. "It's already almost ten o'clock, and I doubt we're going to get anywhere on this tonight. Garcia said that we'll have everything on the employees of Powell's and Stumptown first thing in the morning… there's no reason for us to sit here spinning our wheels. If you want to go over any of these files some more, take them with you; but we're not going to catch this guy if we're all too exhausted to think."

Emily bit her lip and nodded in understanding and agreement as she glanced over at JJ. She knew that JJ was feeling desperate to wrap this case up, to the point that she was ready to work herself to exhaustion if it meant finding the unsub faster. From the moment they had gotten back from the coffee and bookshops earlier, if JJ was not dealing with the LEOs or something with the press, she was at the table with the rest of the team, pouring through their notes and files, reading and reading the same information over and over again in the vain hope that something might suddenly make sense.

It was clear to Emily from the tense set of JJ's shoulders and the way her fingers tapped an indistinguishable rhythm against her thighs, that it would be up to her to make JJ leave for the night. JJ was so entrenched in what she was doing that she hadn't heard a word that Hotch had said. Emily reached out and placed a gentle hand on JJ's shoulder to draw her attention away from the notes and the photographs in the file the blonde was reading. "Jennifer," she murmured, leaning in so that she could whisper in JJ's ear. "Let's go, sweetheart. We'll do this more tomorrow."

JJ huffed and held up a finger as she continued to scan the file. "I'm almost done with this. I could have sworn I saw something in here earlier that might have been useful to us."

Emily took a deep breath as she looked up and caught Morgan's eye, silently asking him to help her out; but he just shrugged and gave her a look that quite clearly said, _'She's all yours, Prentiss'_. "Wuss," she muttered under her breath as she turned and set her left arm across the back of JJ's chair. "Jayje?" JJ grunted and Emily rolled her eyes. "Could you look at me, please?"

"Em," JJ sighed, looking up from the file she was reading. "What?"

The fire burning in JJ's bright blue eyes was easy enough for Emily to pick up on, and she knew that she would get nowhere with the blonde if she pushed her to give up for the night and leave with them. So, she went with a slightly more circuitous approach, hoping that JJ's desire to keep her in sight at all times would make her see that it was time to call it a night. "I am going back to the hotel with Morgan and the rest of the team. I'm sure the five of us can squeeze into one of the cars, would you like us to leave the other one for you?"

JJ sucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down on it to keep from snapping at Emily. She knew that Emily was trying to look out for her, just like she knew that it really _wasn't _going to do her any good to sit there all night and continue to read the same pages over and over again until the words blended together and she passed out from exhaustion. She knew all of that. But she also knew that they needed to catch this unsub so that Emily would be safe. And, right then, in a small, messy conference room in the back of the police precinct in Beaverton, Oregon, there was nothing more important to her than keeping Emily safe.

It was not hard for Emily to see that JJ was fighting with herself, weighing the futileness of their situation with her desire to find the unsub and keep her safe. So she just remained silent, holding JJ's gaze unblinkingly as the younger woman worked through her thoughts. She was vaguely aware of Hotch standing at the end of the conference table as Rossi, Morgan, and Reid inched toward the door, but never once tore her eyes away from JJ's. She hated that hers and JJ's relationship was impacting the investigation, she could not do anything to fix it until she could get JJ to see that she was getting too involved with the case. They worked best from an objective distance. The moment a case became personal, their judgment became clouded and, oftentimes, irrational.

Hotch and the rest of the team watched Emily and JJ stare silently at each other. Though they all knew exactly what was happening between the two women and sympathized with them for the situation they were in, they also knew it was up to the couple to figure it out for themselves. It was not an FBI thing, even though the two women had promised to keep their relationship out of the field, because none of them ever really expected for there to be a clear delineation between work and home in the women's relationship. Strauss did, because the Bureau Chief was a cyborg, but the rest of them knew that there would be times where it would be impossible for JJ and Emily to separate their emotions from their cases.

And this case – where Emily matched the victimology to a T – certainly constituted as being one of those times.

So, deciding to give his agents a chance to fix things themselves, Hotch pulled the keys to one of the SUVs out of his pocket and tossed them onto the table. "We'll take one car. You guys come back in the other when you're done. We'll meet back here at seven thirty tomorrow morning." His words were soft, but they left no room for argument.

Hotch's simple statement and the sound of metal scraping across the laminate tabletop finally pulled Emily's eyes away from JJ, and she reached out to catch the keys as they slid across the tabletop. She palmed the keys and gave Hotch a tight smile, silently thanking him for letting them handle things on their own. "Will do. Thanks."

"See you tomorrow." Hotch gave both women a small nod before he turned on his heel and walked out of the conference room, pulling the door closed behind himself as he easily fell into step beside Rossi as the two older men followed Reid and Morgan out of the precinct.

When Emily turned her attention back to JJ, she found that the blonde hadn't moved. "Talk to me, Jen," she pleaded softly.

JJ scrubbed her hands over her face and shook her head as she trailed her fingers through her hair. "I just… I'm fine, Em. I'm just not ready to call it a night yet."

Emily nodded at the obvious lie and leaned back in her chair as she waved a hand at the table that was littered with empty pizza boxes, notes, and files. "Right. Well… I'll stay with you until you're done. How much longer do you think you want to keep going?"

"I don't know," JJ snapped. The harshness of her tone made her freeze and she groaned. "I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"Scared," Emily supplied. It wasn't a question.

JJ licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah."

"Me too," Emily whispered. She pushed herself up out of her chair so that she could kneel in front of JJ, and she smiled softly at her as she reached out to tenderly cradle JJ's face in the palm of her hand. "Me too," she repeated, brushing the pad of her thumb over JJ's cheek. "But staying here all night, obsessing over details that we have pretty much concluded are irrelevant isn't going to help us catch this guy, sweetheart."

JJ's eyes fluttered shut at the softness in Emily's tone and she reached up and covered Emily's hand upon her face with her own, holding that warm, comforting touch close so that it wouldn't disappear. "I know."

"I love you," Emily whispered, smiling as the ghost of a smile tweaked the corners of JJ's lips.

"I know," JJ answered. "I love you too."

"I know," Emily said, her smile growing wider as she leaned in and kissed JJ softly. "I'll give you half an hour more, but then we're going back to the hotel to sleep."

JJ nodded, relieved that Emily was not going to try and make her leave right then and there. She doubted that she would get anywhere with the extra thirty minutes, but she was glad that Emily understood her enough to know that she truly did just need to spend a little more time on the case that night. "Okay."

"Okay," Emily echoed, kissing JJ quickly one last time before she got back to her feet and returned to her chair. She tucked her hair behind her ears as she cast one last glance at the blonde, and sighed as she reached for one of the files that Morgan had been reading earlier. She had already gone through it twice, but she figured that if she was sitting there anyways, maybe the third time would be the charm.

Forty minutes later, JJ and Emily wandered out of the Beaverton Police Department and into the brightly lit parking lot behind the building. There were a dozen off-duty cruisers scattered around the lot and, though they were the only ones out there, they hurried to their SUV that was parked in the far corner underneath a lamppost. As was usual for the couple when it was just the two of them, Emily held the passenger's door open for JJ to climb into the car before she hurried around to get in behind the wheel.

"Thank you," JJ said, as Emily started the car.

"For what?" Emily asked, looking over her shoulder as she backed out of the parking space.

JJ shrugged. "Everything?"

Emily smiled as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the otherwise empty street. She pulled to a stop at a stop sign in front of the precinct and reached for JJ's hand. Their fingers twined together automatically and she lifted their joined hands to her lips so she could press a soft kiss to the back of her knuckles as she rolled through the intersection, slowly gaining speed as she eased the accelerator down. "You know that I will always support you, Jennifer. Right?" she murmured, her lips brushing against the back of JJ's hand.

"I do." JJ smiled and turned to look at Emily, whose regal features were highlighted by the streetlights outside her window. Downtown Beaverton was incredibly quiet, given that it was a Saturday night, but JJ attributed it to the fact that the majority of the clubs and other late-night venues were located in Portland. They drove in silence, Emily occasionally dropping more kisses to the back of JJ's knuckles as the blonde enjoyed just watching her lover drive.

It was a nice, normal way to end the day after everything that had happened.

Emily shifted in her seat as they approached an intersection, and the movement drew JJ's attention away from the road to look at her. She smiled softly at the way the profiler's features were thrown into relief by the dim yellow streetlights outside her window, but the happy smile on her face turned into a look of abject horror as a pair of headlights flashed on just outside Emily's window. The high-beams were quite literally blinding, and she threw her arm over her eyes as she opened her mouth to warn Emily. But, before she could even say Emily's name, their SUV was rocked off its wheels as the headlights smashed into them. The screech of abused metal quickly became the sound of shattering glass as the right side of the car bounced off the street and flipped onto its roof, spinning and skidding with the force of the impact. The night around them was a blur of flashing lights and the sound of protesting metal as the SUV slid across the pavement, its wheels spinning uselessly at the stars, and the most JJ could do was hang on. The whole thing was over as quickly as it began, an eternity passing in a matter of seconds, and when the SUV stopped moving, JJ immediately opened her eyes and reached for Emily.

She screamed at the sight of Emily, but didn't realize it because the sound of her own voice overwhelmed by the ringing in her ears from the accident. Emily was dangling from her seatbelt, her hair swinging lightly with residual energy from the crash. The profiler's body was limp, signaling that she was unconscious, but JJ thought she could detect some movement in the brunette's chest that meant she was breathing. Though she could not be sure. Emily's beautiful face was covered in blood that was oozing from the myriad of cuts she had sustained from flying glass, the thin crimson streams from each wound merging together to form larger tributaries until her entire face was painted red.

Tears JJ wasn't even aware of crying poured down her cheeks as she frantically struggled with her seatbelt, trying to get free. The lock didn't want to give and she screamed again, this time in horrified fury. The cry was a dull, distant sound that she barely registered as being hers, as she kept punching at the lock release and tugging violently against the harness. The entire time she wrestled with her seatbelt, her eyes were glued to Emily, drinking in every gut-wrenching detail of the older woman's appearance, desperately trying to discern some definitive clue that Emily was alive. JJ continued to tug at her seatbelt, the sound of her own screams slowly becoming more and more audible as the ringing in her ears faded, and she sobbed with relief when it finally came free and she dropped to the ground. Glass dug into her knees as she crawled over to Emily, but she ignored the pain as she reached for Emily's neck to feel for a pulse.

Another sob escaped her when she found it.

Emily was alive.

She searched blindly for her purse that had her phone inside it, but she couldn't find the bag, so she reached across Emily to unsnap the brunette's from the holster on her belt. She dialed 9-1-1 with shaking fingers, and lifted the phone to her ear. Her hearing, while still affected, was quickly getting better, so she could at least make out what was being said over the line.

_"Nine – One – One, what is your emergency?"_

"We were just hit by a car," JJ blurted out. "A car accident," she added.

_"Yes, ma'am,"_ the operator said. _"Could I get your name, please? Can you tell me where you're at? Are there any injuries?"_

JJ drew a ragged breath, her fingers painting through the blood on Emily's jaw as she tried to hold her head still. "Yes, I'm sorry. My name is Agent Jareau, I'm with the FBI. We're at the intersection of…" her voice trailed off as she ducked to look out the windshield "Lombard and Broadway. The vehicle we're in has flipped over and-"

_"I'm alerting the appropriate agencies now. You said that your partner was with you?"_

"Yes," JJ said, running her bloodied hand through her hair, streaking the straw-colored strands red. "We just left the downtown police department. The car came out of nowhere. I don't… just… please help!"

_"Units should arrive on the scene in a moment, ma'am_," the dispatcher said. _"Is your partner all right?"_

"I don't know!" JJ sobbed. "She's unconscious and bleeding pretty bad from her head. I just... please help her!"

The dispatcher made some small noise of understanding, and JJ could hear him talking urgently into what she assumed was another line. But, before she could ask him what was happening, she felt a sharp, stinging sensation at the side of her neck, and then the world went black.

+++/+++\+++

"She's coming around!" a frantic, relieved sounding voice yelled.

Around her, there was the sound of running feet and then somebody was pulling at her eyelid, forcing it open so that a bright light could be shined into her eye. It swung back and forth and up and down testing her pupil response, and she groaned as she lifted her arm to weakly swat the offending light away. She sighed with relief when her eyelid was allowed to close and she took a moment to take stock of her situation.

"Looks okay," a disembodied voice said, though to whom she couldn't be sure.

Her head spun with both pain and her memories of what had happened, and she groaned loudly as she struggled to sit up, needing to see what was happening. Strong hands pushed against her shoulders, keeping her down and she finally forced her eyes open to glare at the person holding her in place. She relaxed slightly when she saw that it was Reid who was trying to keep her from sitting up. "Where's Emily?"

Spencer licked his lips and swallowed thickly as he shook his head. "We don't know."


	33. Part 2: Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

"You don't understand! I need to get out of here now!" JJ practically screamed as she stared down the unfortunate attending physician who was assigned to her case. She was still groggy from the drugs that she had been injected with, but she could now stand on her own two feet, and she needed to get out of the hospital so she could try and find Emily before whoever took her could hurt her.

"Ma'am," the doctor, an older man who looked absolutely terrified of the little blonde, stuttered. "We still need to…"

But whatever he was going to say was cut off by JJ's hand fisting the collar of his pretty white coat. "I will sign an AMA and whatever else you want me to sign – but I am leaving now, doctor. My partner was kidnapped, probably by the same sick fuck who's been torturing women around here, and I am not doing her any good sitting on my ass in some-"

"AGENT JAREAU!" Hotch's voice rang out, silencing his Communications Liaison before she could berate the doctor any more. He had been just pulling up to the hospital after canvassing the scene of the accident for any clues when he'd gotten a panicked phone call from Reid telling him that JJ was, to put things mildly, upset. Wanting to get to her before things spiraled completely out of control, he ended up leaving the team's SUV parked in the ambulance only zone outside the emergency room, keys dangling from the ignition, as he sprinted inside the hospital. Seeing that he had her attention, he added in a much calmer, quieter voice, "Stand down now, Agent."

JJ's training kicked in, and she immediately released her hold on the doctor's coat as she took a step away from him. Blue eyes flashing with pain and fear and worry turned to focus on the team's Chief as she set her jaw defiantly. "Sir?"

Hotch regarded JJ carefully for a moment before he gave her the briefest of nods and a look that quite clearly said, _'Let me handle this.'_ He knew that JJ needed to be fully cleared, but he also knew that the she was not going to sit for tests when Emily was missing. So, he turned to give the attending a small smile as he held his hand out in greeting. "Sir. I am Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I understand that you are concerned about Agent Jareau's potential injuries, but she is needed immediately in the field to assist with the recovery of our missing Agent."

The doctor, who looked to be rather relieved to be addressed in such a calm manner, shook his head. "I sympathize, Agent Hotchner. But Agent Jareau was involved in an incredibly serious motor vehicle accident and, while X-Rays have confirmed that she miraculously does not have any broken bones or other serious injuries besides cuts and bruises, and her CAT scan came back clear – I still feel it would be in her best interest to remain overnight for observation."

Hotch sighed as relief washed over him at hearing that JJ's scans all came back normal. "I understand. However, if Agent Jareau is choosing to refuse medical treatment and is amenable to signing an AMA release form, you do have to release her. Agent Jareau-" he turned to look at JJ, who was already nodding vigorously "-are you willing to sign the released against medical advice form?"

"Yes," JJ huffed. "I already said that!"

"Agent Jareau," Hotch warned.

"Sir," JJ added petulantly.

Hotch nodded and turned to the doctor. "I believe Agent Jareau has made her desires more than clear in this matter. So, if you could please bring in that AMA as quickly as possible, we would really appreciate it."

The doctor just stared, wholly unused to being completely manhandled like this. He was a senior attending at the hospital and it had been years, decades, really, since anyone had bothered to go against what he said like this. He tried to stare down Hotch, to try and make the man understand how much trouble his agent could potentially be in, but he knew it was a lost cause. So, when the man's scowl deepened and he arched an eyebrow expectantly at him, he just nodded. "Fine. Let me go get that form."

"Hotch…" JJ started, as the doctor disappeared into the hallway.

"Don't," Hotch interrupted. "I understand, JJ. I do. And that is the _only_ reason," he said, stressing the word 'only', "I am not making you stay here for observation. Just because your scans were all clear does not mean you are necessarily out of the woods. But, because they _were_ clear, I won't make you stay. However, if you do begin to present with any of the symptoms of a brain injury, and you know we all know the symptoms with how many concussions this team gets, you will be right back here submitting to being under observation and undergoing every single test that doctor wants to do to you. Are we clear?"

JJ straightened her posture and nodded. "Crystal."

"Good," Hotch said seriously. "Now, what do you know about what we found at the scene?"

"Nothing," JJ said, her voice cracking with emotion. "Is it…"

Hotch nodded. "We think so. Emily matches the profile, and he would have seen her on television with you at the press conference." He saw JJ's eyes flash with anger at the reminder that he had chosen to put Emily out there like that, but he chose to ignore it. "None of the other women were abducted in the manner as she was, but they were alone as well. We also found a note…"

JJ's eyes widened. "What did it say? Were there fingerprints? What about-"

"JJ!" Hotch interrupted. "We're running it for trace evidence now, there weren't any prints. I will also have Reid do a handwriting analysis on it when we get back to the precinct."

"What did it say, Hotch?" JJ demanded.

Hotch sighed and licked his lips as he took a moment to brace himself for the fury he knew he was about to unleash. "I'll leave her in my special spot when I'm done with her. You know where it is, you were there the night you arrived."

JJ's jaw snapped shut so hard her teeth clacked loudly together and she shook her head disbelievingly. She had known that this case was a bad idea. She'd known it from the very beginning. And now the unsub had Emily. Her Emily. "NO! Hotch, no! Please…"

"I have that form," a nurse said as she warily entered the room.

Hotch nodded and pulled a pen out of the breast pocket of his suit coat. "Here," he said, handing JJ the pen. "Sign it, and let's go find Emily."

JJ took the pen and the form and turned to the little table beside the bed. She slapped the paper down and immediately began scribbling her name across the _'Patient's signature'_ line and initialing where it was required. Once she was done, she left the form where it was and turned on her heel for the door, everything about her body language signaling that she was a woman on a mission, and silently handed Hotch his pen as she strode past him into the hall.

Reid was sitting against the wall just down the hall from the examination room JJ had been in and he up from his phone at the sound of JJ's heeled boots clicking a determined staccato on the linoleum floor. He had been watching and re-watching the video surveillance of the intersection at the time of the accident that Garcia had sent him so that he'd have something to do while he waited with JJ. Though he wasn't able to manipulate the image enough to get a license plate off the black truck that had rammed JJ and Emily's SUV – Garcia was frantically doing that back on base at Quantico – he was able to analyze the way the man who took Emily moved around the scene. "JJ!"

"We're leaving, Reid," JJ snapped. "Did anyone ever find my phone? And what happened to my gun?"

"Your gun is right here," Reid said. He picked up the weapon that was sitting on top of JJ's purse beside him and held it out to her. "The paramedics took it off you in the ambulance and gave it to me to hang onto on the drive over, remember?"

JJ frowned. She actually did not remember that, but she quickly came to the conclusion that it did not particularly matter as she took her gun from him and slipped it back into the holster that was still attached to her belt.

"And here's your phone," Reid said, leaning down to pick JJ's purse and handing it over. "Your bag landed in the backseat after the collision, but I already checked for you and your phone is fine."

"Thanks, Spence," JJ muttered, as she took the purse from him and dug around inside it for her phone. She let out a quiet sigh of relief when she found it and pulled it out to see that it really was unharmed, and she wasted no time unlocking it and immediately hitting the number two on her speed dial.

Garcia answered on the first ring. _"Thank goodness. I was beginning to think that they were lying to me when they said you were okay."_

"I'm fine, Pen," JJ said. "I would have called you sooner but I didn't have my phone. Tell me you have something we can use to get Emily back."

_"I'm going over the surveillance footage from the intersection now,"_ the technical analyst said, her tone nearly frantic as her words rushed over each other like they did when she was truly upset. _"I can't get a plate number off of the truck before the crash – the numbers were covered with something so that they weren't visible – but I was able to see that it did have Oregon plates, and I can tell that it was a dark-colored Dodge Ram. I am looking through the DMV database now, compiling a list of all registered owners of vehicles that match the description. By my current count, there are approximately two thousand four hundred and twenty eight registered Dodge trucks that would qualify as 'dark' in the greater Portland area."_

JJ stopped and turned to rest her head against the wall in the hallway, groaning as she ran a hand through her hair. "Fuck! That's too many!"

_"I know!"_ Penelope said, sounding like she was close to tears.

Hotch and Reid walked up to JJ and stopped on either side of her, flanking her so that she was protected from the prying eyes of the night nurses who were huddled together at their station at the far end of the hall and watching them with rabid fascination. "Put Garcia on speaker," Hotch said in a low tone.

JJ nodded and pulled her phone away from her ear to flip it to speaker. "You're on speaker, Pen. Hotch and Reid are with me."

"Garcia, anything?" Hotch asked.

_"Sir. Like I was telling JJ, there are just too many registered owners of Dodge trucks in the greater Portland area. I can tell from the surveillance footage that it has one of those steel bar grill protector thingies on it – which I'm pretty sure is why he was even able to drive away from the scene – but that sort of aftermarket accessory wouldn't be included in the DMV database." _

"Yeah, but we'll be able to use it to quickly dismiss possible suspects, so that's a good find, Garcia."

_"Yes, sir. Anyway, I was able to follow his path up Lombard until he turned westbound onto 26 and I lost him."_

"Was he driving erratically?" Reid asked. He knew from the footage he watched that the man who'd abducted Emily was calm and methodical at the scene, as if he had zero concerns about being caught. If he drove the same way, odds were good that he would have headed straight home from the scene and not taken any circuitous detours to try and throw off any trackers. And that level of cockiness would fit perfectly with what little of a profile they had been able to compile thus far.

_"No."_

Hotch nodded thoughtfully. "If I remember the geography correctly, once you start heading that way, things get more rural."

_"Yes, sir."_

"Garcia," Reid spoke up. He was already picturing the way a geographical profile would fit with the data they had and he thought he might have a way to narrow their search parameters. "If you restricted the search to areas that are accessible if one were to head west on highway 26 from the Portland/Beaverton area, how many vehicles would you have?"

There was the sound of frantic typing and then Garcia answered, _"One thousand seven hundred and eighty three."_

"Get me those names and bullet bios for each owner in the greater Portland area. We'll do a geographical profile when we get to the station," Hotch said. "Flag anybody who has some kind of a medical background. Send them to our PDAs. We're heading back to the precinct for now."

_"Yes, sir,"_ Garcia said, and then the line went dead in a very un-Garcia fashion with zero fanfare.

"Let's go," Hotch said, placing a soft hand at the small of JJ's back. "We should have that information by the time we get back to the precinct and I want to be able to breakdown what Garcia found for us on one of the large maps of the area."

JJ nodded and took a deep, steadying breath before she pushed off the wall. She refused to meet Hotch and Reid's concerned gazes as she turned and marched down the hall. She did not want their pity. She did not want to see them looking at her like she was seconds from falling apart. She knew she was seconds from falling apart, but she also knew that she didn't have that luxury at the moment.

+++/+++\+++

Emily awoke slowly, pulled from unconsciousness by the throbbing of her head. Her first sensation, besides the pounding in her head, was that her entire body felt like it was one giant, pulsing bruise. The more she became aware of the pain radiating out of what felt like every cell in her body, the faster she came aware of her surroundings, and she immediately began cataloguing everything she could quantifiably measure.

Wherever she was, it was quiet. There were no sounds of traffic, birds, or even a television to help her try and figure out where she was. It was also cold, and the more she came back to herself, she realized that she was feeling that cold more than she might have otherwise because she was naked, her arms stretched up above her head so that she was completely exposed. She shifted slightly and her fingers dipped over the edge of whatever it was she was laid upon, and she quickly deduced that it was a table of some kind. The movement of her hands was marked by the quiet _chink_ of metal and it was then that she realized she was handcuffed to the table. She immediately tried to move her legs to see how much movement she had, but they were also cuffed to whatever table she was laying on.

All of these things were disconcerting, but her first truly conscious thought was of JJ. She remembered the accident, remembered the way the SUV's airbag had exploded in her face, the gas from the launching canister burning her skin before the inflatable cushion smacked into her. She remembered the sound of screeching metal, shattering glass, and JJ's screams, and then it all went black and she remembered nothing.

Was JJ okay?

Was JJ with her, wherever she was?

It was that fear for JJ's safety that had her forcing her eyes open despite the nearly crippling pain in her skull to try and find the blonde. Years of training had her committing every available detail to memory, though there wasn't much to remember. The room around her was dimly lit, bathed in variegated shades of charcoal, and while she was unable to see into the darkest corners of the space, she was able to at least conclude that JJ wasn't in her immediate vicinity.

The thought that she was separated from JJ was simultaneously upsetting and a relief, because she was pretty sure that wherever she was, she did not want JJ within a hundred miles of the place.

"I see we're awake," a voice spoke from somewhere beside her.

Her body tensed, her fight or flight response kicking in even though she knew she that would not be able to actually run away. She turned her head to try and find the owner of the voice, but she could not see anything within the shadows. "Where am I? Who are you?"

She squinted as she stared into the darkness where she was certain the voice had come from, and she took a deep breath to try and steady her heart rate that had spiked the moment her unseen captor had spoken. And then she saw it. Just the barest shifting of gray within the gray until the silhouette of a man became visible.

"Tut, tut, tut, Agent Prentiss," the voice chastised, and Emily could hear the amusement in her captor's tone. She was about to ask where she was again, when a fist materialized out of the darkness and smashed into her already bleeding cheek. "We'll get around to formal introductions later."

Emily blinked rapidly as she tried to clear the tears that had sprung into her eyes from the blow. "What do you want?"

This time the voice laughed, and the sound was low and full of the promise of pain. "I think you already know the answer to that one, Agent."

Emily strained to see anything of her captor, but all she could make out was an indistinct profile. He was tall and seemed to be well built, but she couldn't say if she knew him from their investigation or not. Instead of opening her mouth and risking another punishing blow, she just licked her lips and nodded.

"Mmm," the voice growled approvingly, sounding like a contented jungle cat. "You are going to be a fun one to play with, I can tell." But, before he could continue, the sound of a cell phone ringing echoed through the room and her captor let out a loud sigh of disappointment. Apparently, whoever was calling could not be ignored. "Well, damn. I guess this is just going to have to wait until later," he said, delivering a hard slap to Emily's stomach. "Wait for me here, will you?" he said, laughing as he walked away.

Emily bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making a sound at the stinging blow and watched and listened as her attacker disappeared into the shadows at the perimeter of the room, his heavy footfalls growing quieter with each step. There was the sound of a door opening and closing, and then a heavy lock being turned over, and then nothing. Emily held her breath to try and hear more, but all she could hear was the suffocating silence of the room around her. Nothing that would help her figure out where she was. Nothing that would give her any clue as to who her attacker might be.


	34. Part 2: Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

JJ, Hotch, and Reid had just gotten back to the precinct and met up with Morgan and Rossi, who had stayed behind at the scene until the last scrap of evidence had been collected, when all five of their phones beeped, chimed, or rang, alerting them that Garcia had collected the information Hotch had asked her to look up about dark trucks in the greater Portland area. The team shared a look of quiet determination, one that bespoke of their closeness and their desire to bring Emily home, and then they took off as one into the building. Morgan played the role of a fullback, clearing a path through the crowd of officers as the rest of the BAU agents followed in his wake.

Even though it was now nearly two in the morning, the precinct was buzzing with more activity than the hour just after a shift change would normally merit, but none of the agents gave it much thought as they bulldozed their way through the throng of uniformed and plainclothes officers that littered the hallway. Hotch looked up as he caught sight of the Chief of Police striding purposefully toward him and his team, waving a hand in the air to hail their attention.

"Chief Johnson, I'm sure you'll understand that we're in a bit of a hurry here," Hotch greeted the man, never breaking stride as he followed Morgan and the rest of his agents down the narrow hallway that would take them to the conference room they had 'borrowed' for the length of their stay.

"I understand completely, Agent Hotchner," Chief Johnson replied, as he easily fell into step beside the stoic Agent. "I just wanted to let you know that I have gone ahead and called in all available officers to help with your search."

"I appreciate that," Hotch said as the conference room came into view. "How many officers does that give us? Because I can assure you, we are going to use each and every one of them."

"Fifty," Johnson answered.

Hotch nodded and turned to look at Chief Johnson."I appreciate the help. How about the Sheriff's department? Can they spare any men?"

The Police Chief nodded. "That's Tom Newman's group, and he said that he'd do anything he could to assist. I'll get you his number. I also have calls in to other precincts in the area. Everybody is sending at least a dozen guys down here to help. Where do you want me to assemble everybody as they come in?"

Hotch stopped walking and watched the BAU team disappear into the conference room. "Is your regular briefing room large enough to handle the number of officers that will be coming in?"

Johnson shrugged. "Maybe. If everybody's standing."

"Right," Hotch murmured. "Well then, since it's not raining, why don't we assemble everybody out in the parking lot and we can just do it there. Our technical analyst just sent us a list of registered vehicle owners whose trucks match the description of the one that hit Agents Prentiss and Jareau, so we need to sift through the data and we'll hand out assignments once we've finished that. How many patrol cars do you have?"

"Fifteen that aren't on rotation now," Johnson answered. "So that'll put thirty officers on the street from our department. From the other departments who are sending guys over… I don't know. Anyways, we have five unmarked cars for detectives, that'll add another ten, and I'll put the other ten of my guys to work here doing whatever you think would help."

Hotch gave Johnson a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you for your help. When do you expect they'll all be here?"

The Police Chief glanced at his watch. "Call went out about thirty minutes ago, so I'd expect them all to be here in the next hour, guys from further away… maybe two, three hours, tops."

"Excellent, if we're still working when the last of them arrive, could you please let me know?"

"Of course," Johnson nodded. "Anything else?"

"Not right now," Hotch said. "I need to get to work." He left the Police Chief standing in the middle of the hall at that and made his way into the conference room. He spotted Reid and Morgan hunched over a laptop, and looked over to where Rossi was standing next to the printer, pulling sheets off one by one as they poured from the machine. "How we doing?"

"Still printing out the matches out now," Morgan said, glancing up at Hotch.

"How many more?"

"Um… eight hundred, give or take a few," Reid reported.

Hotch pursed his lips and nodded tightly. Approximately four hours had already passed from the time of Emily's abduction and he knew that even with this unsub's penchant for drawn-out torture, that they were running on borrowed time. The unsub knew who Emily was and he knew exactly what he was doing when he took her, and Hotch didn't doubt for a minute that he was looking forward to the challenge of breaking Emily and killing her before the BAU and the police could find her. The unsub was cocky, arrogant, and incredibly, incredibly adept at what he did, and at this point the only silver lining to the entire situation was that, so far, he had never raped any of his victims so Emily might be spared that particular torture.

Everything else, though…

He shook his head to try and shake those negative thoughts away and sighed quietly as he looked over at JJ, who was standing against the back wall of the conference room and staring at the table that was littered with their notes and files. From what he could tell, the space looked pretty much the same as it had when they'd left a few hours earlier. He was fairly certain that his Communications Liaison was having trouble reconciling the fact that the last time she had been in this room she was with her partner, and now she was alone, grasping at straws for how to find her.

"Let's get started with what we have. Reid, give the printouts to Rossi to sort through. We're going to have to do a rough geographical profile on what we have as everything is going up and I want you at the map looking at the data as its plotted."

Reid obediently handed the paperwork over to Rossi and headed over to the laminated map that was tacked to the wall beside the whiteboard that the team had been using earlier.

Rossi had also been watching the quiet blonde lurking at the back of the room and, while he understood exactly what she was feeling, he also knew that, if she was going to be a productive member of the team, she had to struggle through the melancholy of hopelessness that was threatening to overwhelm her. "JJ, help me with these," he said, waving the stack of papers he was sifting through.

JJ looked up at the profiler and nodded. "What do you need?"

"Help me sort these by occupation," Rossi said, handing JJ half of the papers that were in his hand when she finally got close enough. "Medical field here." He tapped the left side of the table "and non-medical here." He tapped the right.

Hotch nodded his agreement with his friend's approach. The best way to keep JJ functioning was to keep her mind occupied and her body busy. "Morgan, Reid, I want you to use different colored pens and start plotting these addresses," he said, as he watched Rossi and JJ quickly sift through the information about the vehicle owners, sorting the pages into the appropriate pile.

Morgan and Reid jumped to the white board, each grabbing a pen – red for Reid and blue for Morgan – and stood at attention waiting for Hotch to call off the first address.

"Right," Hotch said, as he picked up the pile from the left side of the table. "We'll start with the registered owners who have a medical background. Reid, ready? I want all of these in the same color."

The genius nodded. "Yeah."

Hotch nodded and took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment before he let it go and read off the first address from the list. "2-6-8-9 Dove Court, Beaverton." He pursed his lips as the two younger male agents searched for the address and shuffled the page he'd just read off of to the back of the stack as Morgan tapped at the map and Reid drew a small dot over the address.

JJ helped Rossi sort the remaining pages, a job that was made easier because Garcia had highlighted the names of the owners with medical backgrounds, and Hotch split the pile between Morgan and Reid so that the men could plot the points more quickly. JJ leaned against the table and watched the guys work, both busy plotting addresses on the map as quickly as they possibly could, and occasionally Reid would draw a line between two points and mutter something about statistics and probability. Even though she knew they were doing the only thing they could at this point, she couldn't help feeling more and more upset as each dot was drawn, knowing that each one that was added took away from the probability of them finding Emily in time.

Minutes bled together as the team worked, Morgan and Reid plotting the addresses while Rossi and Hotch popped in and out, checking on the incoming volunteers and calming any dissent that happened to crop up. Not that there were a lot, per se, everybody knew and understood that one of their own had been taken and they were all dedicated to bringing her back, but there were the occasional whispers about how it took one of the FBI Agents going missing to really light a fire under the BAU's ass.

Through it all, JJ stood silently by, leaning against the table with her eyes trained on Morgan and Reid who were dancing around each other, drawing dots on the map and muttering under their breath while they worked. However, while her eyes were watching the scene happening in front of her, but her mind was a million miles away, stuck on an infinite loop, constantly replaying her memories of Emily.

The way Emily's confabulation had brought them together.

Their first _real _kiss after Emily's false memories had eased, and Emily had admitted to being attracted to her.

Their first date at the vineyard, and how they had danced under the stars.

The way Emily would look at her when they made love, the profiler's rich brown eyes so soft and overflowing with affection.

The moment she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Emily.

She bit her lip and turned away from the board, lifting her hand to her face as her eyes filled with tears. The waiting was becoming unbearable and she wanted to do _something_. She needed to move. To run. To hunt. Yes, definitely to hunt. But, she knew that it wasn't time yet. Knew that they had to approach the situation with a calm head and a well thought-out plan in order to save Emily. She knew all of that, but it didn't make her heart stop hurting.

It certainly didn't keep her head from spinning.

She needed space, and she knew she wouldn't get that either. It was frustrating and annoying and she wanted to lash out at someone. Anyone. But she knew that she was lucky to even be at the precinct instead of back at the hospital undergoing more tests, so she bit back her ire and directed it inward, using it as fuel to keep her awake and functioning and ignoring the pain that radiated through her body from the accident so that she could do her part to save Emily.

_Emily. God, Emily._ Her breath hitched in her throat and she swallowed a sob, defiantly willing her tears back. _There was so much blood, and she wasn't conscious…_

"That's it," Morgan said wearily, running a hand over his head as he took a step back from the map to get a broader look at what he and Reid had done.

JJ looked up and forced herself to actually study the map the guys had been working on. The dots were scattered across the area and it was obvious that it would take them at least the rest of the day to go to every single house. Even with the extra volunteers who had come in to help with the search, the locations were too spread apart to be covered quickly. She felt her heart rate spike with fear and she rubbed her palms over the front of her pants nervously. "Where do we start?"

"The red dots," Rossi explained. "Our profile says that the unsub has an intricate knowledge of human anatomy so we're going to start with them. Even with the grill guard like Garcia said she saw, the unsub's vehicle would have sustained heavy damage from that collision so we're going to go door to door until we find him."

JJ scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to force her tears back. She knew it was the most logical approach, but heart wanted a faster solution. "What if the owners don't let us look at their truck?" she asked, her voice rough with unshed tears.

"Then we do what we have to do to get a warrant," Hotch said. He knew it was going to be more difficult than just calling up the District Attorney, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "We will find her, Jayje," he added, his voice ringing with conviction.

JJ pulled her hands away from her face so she could look Hotch in the eye. She sniffled and nodded as the tears she'd been trying to hold back broke free. "I know," she said, though the sentiment was more wishful than resolute. She glanced at her watch and sighed. It was almost five in the morning. "When do we start?"

"Ten minutes ago," Morgan said, clapping a gentle hand on JJ's shoulder. He pulled her into his side in a one armed hug, and closed his eyes to hold back his own tears when she turned into him, her thin arms snaking around his waist as she held onto him as if her life depended on it. His heart clenched as he tried to comfort her, knowing that this wasn't his job. Protecting JJ wasn't his job.

It was Emily's.

But Emily was missing and he would be damned if he let JJ suffer in her absence. So, as the blonde's arms tightened around him further, holding him almost painfully close, he dropped his head so that he was able to whisper in her ear, "We will find her Jennifer. I promise you, we will find her."

Unable to remain strong any longer, JJ choked out a sob and nodded as she melted into his embrace. "I know," she husked. "I just…"

"Me too," he said, squeezing her gently. "Me too." He looked up and caught sight of Hotch and Rossi discussing how to split the search between the available units and the team. He held JJ tighter as a plan was sketched out, rubbing her back and rocking her softly from side to side. He'd seen Emily calm JJ this way before, and he hoped that the familiarity of the touch would be enough to help settle her.

A sharp rap at the door broke them apart and they all looked up at Chief Johnson who stuck his head into the room. Morgan protectively turned so that he was between JJ and the intruder so that she could wipe away the signs of her breakdown. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him when the Police Chief said, "Everybody's here. Are you ready for us?"

Hotch nodded. "Yeah. Have them all assemble in the parking lot and we'll start the briefing there."

"Gotcha," Johnson said. He gave the BAU team one last sympathetic look and hurried off to get everybody to the parking lot. He felt partially responsible for the missing Agent's abduction, because it had been his phone call that had brought them out, and he was going to do everything he could to try and get her back.

As soon as the Police Chief was gone, Hotch turned to his team. "Reid, do you need more time for a geographical profile?"

Reid took a deep breath and shrugged. "I can always use more time to narrow it down, but I can give broad areas where I believe our unsub would reside."

"Then that's what we'll work with for now," Hotch said. "Morgan, you and JJ help Reid sort the addresses into groups so that we visit those that fall into Reid's areas of higher probability. Rossi, come with me. We'll start briefing the LEOs on the unsub. You three bring out the addresses when you've got them sorted and we'll divvy them up."

Half an hour later, JJ followed Morgan and Reid out to the parking lot and watched silently as the Unit Chief sifted through the stack and nodded thoughtfully before he pulled the top five pages and tucked them under his arm. The rest of the print-outs, he split between the commanding officers and they immediately began handing them to the volunteers.

As the volunteers ran off to their vehicles to begin their search, Hotch turned to address his team that was standing behind him. "Okay. That's it. Reid and I will stay here and keep track of the search results and he can work some more on the geographical profile. Morgan, you and JJ will go with Rossi in our remaining SUV and head out to these five addresses. They're not only the furthest out, they're also the ones that Reid believes to have the greatest probability of being our unsub."

Morgan nodded and looked over at JJ who was standing next to him, her blue eyes flashing fire as she watched the officers drive away. "You ready, Jareau?"

JJ pursed her lips and nodded, everything about her in that moment a picture of pure determination. She was still terrified, but the time had come to finally do something and she wasn't going to waste a minute of it. "Oh yeah."

"Keep in touch after each address," Hotch instructed, giving Morgan a look that quite clearly said, _'Keep an eye on her'._ "I'll call you if any of the other search teams find anything."

"Will do," Morgan said, nodding at Hotch's silent warning to keep an eye on JJ. He placed a hand at the small of JJ's back and gave a gentle push. "Come on, Jayje. Let's go."

+++/+++\+++

Emily had tried her hardest to not fall back asleep, but the dark room combined with the severity of her injuries pretty much made that impossible. It wasn't even sleep that she had fallen into, so much as it was yet another bout of unconsciousness. Her body had just shut down in order to try and heal from the injuries sustained in the accident, which meant that she was completely helpless to even brace for the haymaker of a blow that landed on her ribs, jolting her awake. She groaned and reflexively tried to curl her body around the injury to protect it but was once again thwarted in her attempt to do so by the ties at her wrists. She groaned silently as she realized that, while she'd been out, the unsub had somehow managed to move her from the table or whatever it was she had been restrained on to a chair – metal again – with her hands once again suspended above her head. Gravity had her arms pulling at the cuffs, cutting off circulation in her wrists and making her arms tingle with painful numbness that she tried to relieve by sitting up straighter. She could feel the heavy weight of steel cuffs hanging around her ankles as well, and she was willing to bet that her legs were secured either to the legs of the chair or to bolts in the floor.

"Are we awake now, Agent Prentiss?" the mocking voice asked.

She took a shallow breath and held it as she stared at the figure of a man who was once again standing just outside her line of vision. The same small circle of dirty light fell around her, as if she were the prime attraction at a gallery, so she knew that he'd seen her move and knew damn well that she was awake, and she wasn't going to give him the benefit of hearing her speak. Her right side pulsed with waves of agony from his last punch, and she was pretty sure that it had broken at least one rib. Sitting up straight hurt, breathing made her sides burn with pain, but she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of knowing he had hurt her. He enjoyed the torture. He enjoyed inflicting pain and watching his victims suffer.

And, even injured as she already was, she refused to play into his game.

She concentrated hard on his unfamiliar features as he finally stepped into the light, committing to memory so that she might never forget his face. He was handsome, she noted absently, with patrician features and thick, dark hair that was cut above the ears and a left little shaggy on top. He was big, his biceps strained at the fabric of his flannel shirt, and the smile on his face was enough to chill her to the bone.

It was cold. Calculating. It was the smile of a person completely devoid of a moral conscience. It was a smile that promised pain. Great amounts of pain. And, with the way his hands were flexing at his sides, she knew he had only just begun.

She bit her lip and did her best to roll with his next punch that landed on the other side of her torso. She tried to do a small crunch to absorb some of the impact but the way her arms were stretched above her head kept her from doing so. The punch hurt, but not nearly as bad as the shot he'd delivered earlier, and she was able to almost completely swallow the grunt that wanted to escape her at the hit.

_JJ. Think of JJ_, she told herself as the blows continued to rain down on her sides, each one causing her breath to catch painfully in her chest as near-blinding agony washed over her. It was all she could do to stumble behind the safety of her mental compartments, picturing the way JJ looked as she slept, the way JJ felt in her arms as they made love.

Another blow landed and she winced as she felt and heard yet another rib crack, and she bit her tongue as she redirected her thoughts to the ring she was having made for JJ and the different plans she'd been considering for when she was going to propose.

She took another shot to the side and yet another rib cracked under the force of the blow, but she barely felt it as she pictured JJ accepting her proposal. The way JJ would jump into her arms. The way she would kiss her…

A low, threatening laugh, completely devoid of mirth, broke through her mental barrier and Emily came back to herself to notice the sound of the unsub's heavy footfalls walking away from her. She lifted her head and tried to see where he went, but couldn't see anything outside her small circle of light as the rest of the space was once again full of shadows.

"This will be fun," the voice called out.

Emily tensed, the motion causing bolts of pain to course through her, as she waited for what was going to happen next. She stared into the darkness, helpless to move, trying to see what fate was awaiting her. Her eyes had adjusted somewhat to the light and she was able to see the outline of the unsub standing maybe ten feet away. She could tell he was holding something small in front of himself and, as she strained her eyes to try and figure out what it was, she was shot in the face with a biting spray of ice-cold water.

"How about now?" the voice taunted. Emily gasped in surprise, unable to contain the unconscious response, but managed to bite down on her tongue before any other sound could escape her. She held her breath as the water continued to rain upon her face, each drop landing upon her skin with the sting of a thousand needles, and when she didn't make another sound, he turned the hose on the rest of her body, hitting every inch of her naked skin with the freezing spray.

Emily took the punishment silently, trying to think not of the cold or the biting pain, but rather of JJ and her warmth, the breathy sound she made whenever they kissed, the taste of her lips, the smell of her hair. JJ surrounded her with warmth and protection as she sat there under the icy spray, her body trembling with cold, each racking shiver sending a burst of painful fire through her as her broken ribs protested the spasmatic movement.

It wasn't until the unsub spoke again, in fact, his voice ringing with both hatred and amusement, that she was pulled back to the present. "How about now?" A solid jab landed on her right cheek, snapping her head to the left where it was met with an equally punishing jab that sent her head careening back the other direction. "Tell me, Agent Prentiss, are we awake **_now_**?"

Emily just closed her eyes and bit hard into her lower lip, preparing herself for his next attack, whatever it might be.

"I see," the voice drawled, sounding pleased. "Yes, you are going to be so much fun to play with. Your stubbornness will be a refreshing challenge."


	35. Part 2: Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

"How long until the next one?" JJ asked, her voice a dull monotone as she stared out the window. It was now a little past seven thirty in the morning and the BAU team had already cleared the first three properties on their list. Phone calls to Hotch and Reid back at headquarters continued to bring nothing but bad news as truck after truck was cleared. The other search teams who had stayed closer to town had already cleared their so-called 'red list' and were now working through those on the 'blue list', but because their first property was half an hour from the precinct, and they then had to traverse back and forth across the rural farmland to get to each subsequent property on their list, they still had two more owners to check out.

JJ knew that the elimination of potential suspects was a good thing; that it meant they were closer to finding Emily – but she couldn't suppress her fear that they were going to be too late.

That they wouldn't get to Emily in time.

"Ten minutes or so," Rossi answered, turning around in the passenger's seat to look at her. JJ had grown quieter and quieter after each house they visited, and he knew that she was barely hanging on by a thread. "Are you going to be okay to do this?" he asked gently. There was no hint of accusation or disappointment in his tone, just measured understanding and concern.

JJ nodded and looked up Rossi. His gaze was warm and unflinching, and she was glad that the day was uncharacteristically bright so that she was able to shield her eyes with her sunglasses. "Of course," she lied. She would be, once they pulled up to the address and another jolt of adrenaline pulsed through her veins, but for now… now, she wasn't. But that didn't matter.

Nothing mattered, except finding Emily.

She looked out the window as they flew up a winding mountain pass and silently willed Morgan to go even faster, despite the fact that he was already pushing the limits of what was safe as they raced up the deserted road. "What do we know about this next guy?"

Rossi sighed and turned toward the papers on his lap. "Ben Wyatt. Age 38. Works as an attending DVM at an emergency veterinarian clinic in Banks. Lives on five acres toward the top of this mountain."

JJ nodded as she processed the information. "And you think a vet has enough knowledge of human anatomy to sever limbs like our unsub?"

Rossi pursed his lips and shrugged. "He flunked out of med school in his third year but he did go back and managed to become a vet. He has spent more than his share of time in an anatomy lab doing dissections, and he's as good of a bet as anybody else with a full-blown medical degree."

JJ licked her lips and nodded. "Great. Does this guy have a record of any kind?"

"Just a speeding ticket that he got two years ago," Rossi said, as he reread what little information they had on Benjamin Wyatt.

"Ya know," Morgan said thoughtfully, "his house is a hell of a long way from his office."

JJ went back to staring blankly out the window and only perked up when she felt the car begin to slow as Morgan got ready to turn onto an even narrower, even less traveled dirt road. All three of their head whipped around as a black truck passed them going the other direction. "Was that…"

"A Ford," Morgan said, his voice flat. "And the front end was perfectly fine. It's not what we're looking for."

JJ sighed and shook her head, silently berating herself for being silly enough to hope that they would just magically stumble upon their unsub. "Right."

JJ's quiet desperation was evident in her tone and Rossi turned back around to regard her carefully. "We will find her, JJ."

JJ nodded and sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she turned her face back to her window, unable and unwilling to put voice to her fears that they might not find Emily in time, in case they might somehow jinx their operation to try and save her.

It felt like it took them forever to wind their way up the narrow gravel driveway that led to Benjamin Wyatt's house, and all three of the FBI agents tensed as they pulled to a stop in front of a well-kept, split-log cabin. Towering pines surrounded the small clearing where the house was situated and it reminded JJ of the little hunting cabin her grandfather had kept in the rural mountains of Pennsylvania back home.

"I don't see a garage, do you?" Morgan asked as he studied the area.

"No," Rossi said, frowning. "Let's do this. JJ, call Garcia and see if she can pull up any details about this property, back roads into it, outlying buildings, you know the drill. Morgan and I will go see if Mr. Wyatt is home."

JJ nodded and pulled out her phone as the two men climbed out of the SUV. Her call to Garcia rang through as the two men made their way to the wide stairs that led to the oversized front porch that stretched across the front of the cabin.

_"Tell me something good,"_ Garcia answered.

"I wish I could, Pen." JJ sighed. "Look, we're at Ben Wyatt's house in Timber and Rossi wanted me to ask you to check and see if there are any outlying buildings on the property."

_"I can do that," _Garcia murmured, and JJ could hear the telltale clicking of keyboard keys in the background. _"Right… hold on, just have to borrow a satellite from the DOD… and, yes. Come to mama. Okay, I'm inputting the coordinates, zooming in and… I have a visual on your car and the cabin… lemme pan out a bit and… yes. There's a truck parked behind the main house and there is what looks to be a large barn about five hundred yards south southwest of your current position."_

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" JJ asked, as she watched Morgan and Rossi peer through the windows of the cabin after their knocks went unanswered.

_"It looks like it's in good condition,"_ Garcia murmured. _"Functional, not abandoned. And, wait, yeah… there's what looks to be like a logging road from there up higher onto the mountain."_

"What's up there?" JJ asked, frowning as she watched Morgan and Rossi start heading back her way. She opened her door and climbed out of the SUV, her boots crunching softly on the gravel.

_"A building of some kind,"_ Garcia said after a moment. _"I don't know how big because the tree coverage is incredibly dense in the area, but it's definitely something."_

"Right, thanks, Pen. I'll let you know if we find anything," JJ said as she hung up the phone. JJ arched a brow at Morgan and Rossi and asked, "Nothing?"

Morgan shook his head. "What did Garcia say?"

"There's a car parked behind the house, a barn about five hundred yards south southwest of here, and that from there there's a logging road or something leading from it up into the hills. She thinks she saw another outbuilding there too."

Rossi nodded thoughtfully and looked at Morgan. "Run around and check the back of the house."

"On it." Morgan took off at a jog around the perimeter of the small cabin. JJ lost sight of him for a moment as he disappeared around the corner and when he came running back out nodding emphatically, she felt her stomach clench.

"Was it there?" Rossi asked as Morgan approached.

Morgan nodded. "Sure was. Black Dodge Ram, complete with a heavy-duty grill guard, that is busted up on the right side."

Rossi nodded and pulled out his phone as he held up a 'wait a minute' finger to JJ and Morgan. "Let me call Hotch," he said, as he turned and walked a few feet away from the younger agents.

JJ sighed and looked around where they stood. The woods were unnaturally quiet and she found the lack of sound to be almost suffocating. There should have been birds chirping at the very least, never mind the occasional snapping branch from passing deer or the rustle of bushes from rabbits or other small forest dwelling creatures. She turned and lifted a hand to block the sun from her eyes as she stared into the woods in the direction where Garcia had said she'd seen a barn, but she couldn't see anything and, having grown up in farm country where everyone had barns, that fact struck her as being incredibly odd. Wyatt had so much land, right here where he could have easily built the outbuilding, and yet he tucked it away in the woods. Why?

"Damn, this place is just out in the middle of fucking nowhere," Morgan muttered as he looked around the clearing.

JJ nodded and took a deep breath as she tried to find any clue that might suggest Emily was here. The truck was a definite cause for concern, but even though she wanted it to mean that they had found their man, she knew that it didn't. "Yeah."

"Hotch is calling the DA and getting us a warrant," Rossi said as he returned to where the two younger agents were standing. "He wants us to wait here until we have a verbal approval, and then we're to search the property from top to bottom."

JJ tensed, her hand slipping to lightly grasp the butt of her gun as she flashed an appraising look at the woods around them. "You think he's our guy."

"I think," Rossi hedged, "that for the leads we have and the options left available to us, that this guy is our best bet. I just want to be safe. A little caution never hurt anybody," he added as his phone rang.

JJ looked at Morgan, asking him with her eyes if he agreed with Rossi's assessment. The burly profiler nodded and turned to look around the area a bit more as Rossi spoke to Hotch on the phone. Rossi's half of the conversation consisted of a lot of 'uh huh's and 'yeah's so it was hard for JJ to follow what was being said, but the predatory smile that tweaked the older profiler's lips as he flipped his phone closed was unmistakable.

"We got the warrant. An electronic copy is being sent to my phone now and we have permission from the DA to go ahead and search the property, including any outbuildings. Chief Johnson is sending his SWAT team up to assist and they will have a paper copy of the warrant on them."

"Do you want to wait for backup?" Morgan asked Rossi, deferring to the older man's decision.

"No," JJ said, unsnapping her holster. "If she's here, I don't want to wait an hour for SWAT to get up here."

Rossi and Morgan shared a look and nodded their agreement with JJ. Neither of them particularly liked the idea of leaving Emily being in the unsub's hands any longer than necessary either. And, as they all were already kitted out with the Kevlar vests, there was no reason to wait. With SWAT or without, they would be going in first and all of their intel told them that their unsub worked alone; so it was an acceptable risk, especially considering the alternative. "Morgan, take point," Rossi said.

"Yes, sir," Morgan said, as he pulled his sidearm from its holster and flicked off the safety. "Start with the house?" he asked, and when Rossi nodded his agreement, he led the way back up to the front door.

He looked over his shoulder at JJ and Rossi, who were both standing behind him with their guns pulled and pointed at the ground, and took a deep breath as he turned back to the thick oak door and pounded three bruising knocks into the wood. "WYATT! THIS IS THE FBI! WE HAVE A WARRANT TO SEARCH THE PREMISIS! OPEN UP!"

Of course, nobody answered, just as nobody had answered moments before, and JJ held her breath to try and steady her nerves as she watched Morgan take a big step back and prepare to kick the door in. The burly agent's boot connected with the door just below the doorknob with a loud thud and it immediately gave under the force of the blow.

They filed into the house with a pinpoint precision that was honed during their years spent together doing this exact same thing, and they broke off to sweep through the small, impeccably kept cabin, opening doors and looking everywhere, each of them yelling 'CLEAR' as yet another room was found to be empty. They reassembled in the small kitchen at the back of the house and JJ pursed her lips as she looked at her teammates.

"Nothing," she said.

"Not yet," Morgan countered, looking expectantly at Rossi. "Barn next?"

Rossi nodded. "Yeah.

Morgan looked out the window above the sink thoughtfully. "South-southwest from where we left the car?"

"That's what Garcia said," JJ said, as she adjusted her grip on the butt of her gun.

"So he can get to it from his back door, but the house is between it and the driveway," Morgan murmured. "That's got to restrict access."

JJ nodded and spoke up, "But it also keeps it easily accessible and out of view from anyone who approaches the front door."

"Yeah," Rossi agreed. "So let's go have a look at it and see why he wants it so far out of sight."

Morgan made a small sound of agreement as he made his way across the kitchen to the back door. He unlocked it and threw it open, and made his way down the steps at a light jog as he immediately spotted a worn path, just wide enough for a car or a truck, that cut through the trees. His boots crunched quietly on the gravel path until they reached the edge of the forest where the rocks gave way to pine needles that absorbed the sound of their approach.

The woods were thick, making it difficult to see around each curve of the path they were following, and because of that they didn't even catch sight of the barn Garcia had spotted from the satellite she'd hijacked until they were practically standing on its doorstep. The building was well tended – the dark gray paint on the exterior was clean and there looked to be no holes in the siding – and it was literally surrounded by trees. JJ could put her hand on the trunk of a towering cedar and reached out with her other to touch the side of the building. It was a complete antithesis for how one normally built in the woods, trees near building meant damage during storms, and the only explanation she could think of for constructing anything this close to the forest would be to hide it from view.

But what was he hiding?

Morgan put a finger to his lips as he pressed his ear to the door and shrugged when he heard nothing. Rossi tapped him on the shoulder and, once he had the younger man's attention, pointed at himself and then gestured that he was going to go around the side backside of the building to check for other exits.

"No," JJ said, her voice a hushed whisper as she understood what it was Rossi was going to do, and she shook her head emphatically when he looked at her in surprise. "No, Rossi. We're not splitting up."

"JJ," Rossi said quietly, "I'll be fine. If this is our guy, evidence and our profile says he works alone – so I'll be fine. I'm not Reid, I know how to take care of myself."

"And I don't?" JJ argued, setting her jaw defiantly as she willed herself to not remember what it had been like to be cornered by those dogs.

"I'm not going in by myself," Rossi said. "I'm just looking around. I'll be back here in five minutes."

"Jayje has a point, Rossi," Morgan muttered. "Let's all go."

Rossi shook his head. "Not necessary. If, by some chance, he has security cameras posted around the building, I don't want him to make a run out the front while we're at the back and unable to see him. I got this. I'll meet you back here and let you know what I found." Not waiting to listen to the younger agents' admittedly well-founded arguments, he tapped his watch and wiggled five fingers at JJ and Morgan before he turned on his heel and walked carefully into the woods, his years of hunting experience coming in useful as each of his steps fell silently on the bed of needles that carpeted the forest floor.

JJ bounced on the balls of her feet, nervous energy making it all but impossible for her to stand still, and she huffed a quiet breath as she felt Morgan's eyes land on her. She met his questioning gaze and shook her head at him, telling him without words that nothing was wrong even though they both knew it was a bold-faced lie, as she lifted her watch to check the time.

One minute down.

Four more to go.

+++/+++\+++

Tears poured from Emily's eyes as she suffered yet another beating in silence. She had lost track of how many punches she'd taken, the staggering blows blended together until they just seemed like a never-ending stream of punishment. Instead of focusing on the pain, she tried her best to keep her thoughts focused on JJ. It was the best plan she had, but as her pain increased with each jarring punch to the ribs and every bell-ringing shot to the head that she took, it became an increasingly difficult task to manage and she was grateful when she heard the telltale sound of her captor's footsteps walking away from her, his breath falling in heavy pants as he recovered from the effort he was putting into beating her.

She looked down at her lap, her thighs already bright red and bruised from where she had been repeatedly kicked with his steel-toed boots, and let out a quiet sob. She had yet to make a sound more than a gasp while he hit, kicked, and punched her, but she was well aware of the fact that she was fast approaching the end of her ability to remain silent.

She had no idea how long she had been in the dark room, being verbally taunted and physically assaulted by her captor, but it felt like it had been an eternity. She was tired, so tired, and every time he took a break from punching and kicking her, she had to fight to remain conscious. Her body saw the reprieve as a chance to rest, but she knew better than to give in to unconsciousness because her captor would undoubtedly punish her more severely for not playing into his game as little as she was, so she did everything she could to stay awake.

She screwed her eyes shut and drew a deep, ragged breath, welcoming the stab of pain that flared through her as her lungs filled with air. The pain kept her awake. The pain kept her aware. And she encouraged it, taking another deep breath, as deep as she could manage, the throbbing of her protesting ribs a blessing in disguise as she used it to keep her tenuous hold on consciousness.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew her eyes up from her lap and she resolutely stared into the dim light that surrounded her, her eyes boring into the inky shadows as she waited for her captor's return. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and her breath hitched in her throat as she caught sight of the flash of a blade, the light over her head reflecting brilliantly off the cool, curved steel.

"Ready for more?" her captor asked, as the toes of his shoes broke the perimeter of the circle where light became shadow.

Emily licked her lips and sat up straighter, doing her best to mentally prepare for what she knew was coming next.

+++/+++\+++

Outside the barn, the muffled sound of a strangled scream shattered the tense silence that had befallen JJ and Morgan as they waited for Rossi's return, and JJ's head snapped up to stare at the metal door in front of them. Rossi still had a minute left on his window, but she ignored it completely as she reached for the handle and gave it a twist, somehow not at all surprised to find that it was unlocked, and pushed it open.

She didn't even look at Morgan as she slid into the space, her gun pointed into the darkness that filled the cavernous outbuilding. She could hear Morgan following right behind her and she squinted into the shadows as she moved out of the weak beam of sunlight that streamed through the open door behind them. Her head was on a swivel, trying to figure out where the sound had come from, but she couldn't see anything. She hated to pull out her Maglite and make herself a target more than she already was, but she wasn't going to accomplish anything stumbling around in the dark so she reached back with her left hand and retrieved the thin black flashlight from its case on her belt.

Behind her, Morgan had the same idea and the twin beams of their lights sliced through the murky shadows that filled the barn to reveal a plethora of woodworking tools – a belt sander, a scroll saw, a drill press, and a table saw amongst other power tools, and a multitude of awls, chisels, and hammers. A door at the far end of the building flew open and both JJ and Morgan turned to level their sights on the person who stormed inside, their fingers riding the line on their triggers until they recognized the intruder as being Rossi.

JJ sighed and turned her light back onto the space around them and her heart skipped a beat in her chest as her light landed on a dark mass about midway down the northern wall of the building. It looked like a room of some kind and just as she took a step toward it, another scream tore through the air, the pained pitch of the wounded cry making her heart seize in her chest.

She hesitated for only the briefest of moments before she broke into a run, covering the distance to the small room in mere seconds. She flashed her light back and forth over the outcropped room as she approached, gauging its dimensions to be about twenty feet square, as she easily picked out the door that was set in the middle of the wall that faced into the barn. She reached for the doorknob, ready to rush inside, and she jumped in surprise when Morgan's hand slapped her own out of the way.

JJ turned to glare at the profiler but never got the chance as he swept his left arm across the front of her body and moved her out of his way. She seethed at the impetuous move, but knew better than to fight as she slid into position behind him. One, it would give away their position. Two, she knew that he was just as desperate to find Emily as she was, and she also knew that he had promised Emily that he would take care of her should something happen. This, she figured, was his way of protecting her and doing right by his promise to Emily. She just hated the idea of not being the first one through the door in case it was Emily on the other side.

Morgan could feel JJ glaring daggers into his back but he ignored her as he wrapped his hand around the oblong doorknob and gave it a gentle turn, hoping that it wouldn't make a sound. So far, they had actually be remarkably quiet, and if the unsub – or whomever was behind this door – hadn't heard them yet, he wanted to have as much surprise on his side as he possibly could.

_Go. Go. Go. Go. Go!_ JJ chanted silently as Morgan seemed to take too long to open the door. She licked her lips and tightened her grip on her gun as she watched the door begin to move and as soon as Morgan dove through the space, she was right on his tail, her gun aimed into the heart of the room.

"FBI! FREEZE!"


	36. Part 2: Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

JJ's heart stopped beating as her eyes landed on a small halo of dirty yellow light and the bruised, bloodied, naked woman who was sitting on an industrial looking metal chair in the middle of it. The woman's arms were extended above her head, held in place by a pair of handcuffs that were wrapped around her wrists and attached to a chain that was dangling from the ceiling, and there were thin tendrils of blood trickling down her arms from the way her restraints had cut into her skin. She stared into wide, pleading brown eyes as the woman strained against the hand that was tangled in her hair and the knife that was pressed against her throat. Even beaten as badly as the poor woman was, JJ would have recognized her anywhere.

It was Emily.

They had found Emily.

Her finger twitched on the trigger of her gun as she leveled her sights on the man hiding behind Emily. She couldn't look at Emily without feeling her heart break at the sight of the profiler's injuries – there were so many bruises, dark and purple and angry, crisscrossed with bright red slashes that were oozing blood from where he had begun to work her over with his knife, that she felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of them – so she instead focused the entirety of her attention on the man responsible for hurting her. She re-gripped her gun as he smiled at her, and she was surprised more than anyone when her voice rang through the silence, cold and deadly, and a thousand times calmer than she actually felt. "Drop your weapon and step away from Agent Prentiss."

"Agent Jareau," Wyatt drawled in a sickly-sweet voice. "And Agents Morgan and Rossi. I must say, I am surprised to see you here already. Where are Agents Hotchner and Reid?"

"Drop the knife, Wyatt," Morgan snarled.

Benjamin Wyatt smirked and gave Emily's hair a tug, pulling Emily's head back to give the blade of his knife a firmer purchase against her neck. "I don't think so." He held Morgan's gaze as he slowly drew his knife across Emily's neck, the tip of the blade dipping to press hard enough to draw a sliver of blood from the hollow of Emily's throat. "How did you find me so quickly?"

"There was a surveillance camera at the intersection where you rammed their car with your truck," Morgan said as he slid further into the room, making sure her was out of JJ and Rossi's lines of fire.

Emily gasped as the knife against her throat twitched and the point dug further into her skin, and she swallowed carefully as she caught JJ's eye, begging her to just shoot already.

"I don't recall seeing that particular crossing on the list of monitored intersections when I checked it last. When was it installed?" Wyatt asked, his tone conversational as he slid the tip of his knife around until it was resting under the sweet hollow of Emily's jaw above her pulse point. He rocked his hand forward ever so slightly and chuckled as he watched JJ's eyes harden when he dug the tip of his blade in just enough to make Emily hiss softly.

Remembering something that Reid had said while the genius was pouring over the different angles from the intersection, Rossi answered, "Last week." He stepped off to the side, trying to get a better angle on Wyatt, understandably wary of firing a shot that might hit Emily.

JJ's jaw clenched hard at the sight of Wyatt's knife pressing into Emily's jugular. She knew that he could kill her with just a bit more pressure. Even if they shot him after the fact, if he pushed that knife in far enough they wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding in time to save her.

JJ licked her lips and took a small step forward as she gave Emily a look that said, quite clearly, _'stay still'_. She saw Emily's eyes fill with love, and she felt her heart skip a beat as she watched her blink to convey her understanding before she went as rigid in her captor's grasp as she possibly could. JJ's hand flexed around the butt of her gun, checking that her grip was just right. This was the most important shot she would ever take in her life and she needed everything to be perfect. She took a deep breath and held it, the sound of Rossi and Morgan's tense chatter fading to a distant hum as she focused her attention on the shot she was about to take.

Wyatt was ducked behind Emily, only about half of his face visible as he hid behind her. It was an easy enough shot for JJ to make, she was the best shot on the team, after all, and among the top ten in the entire Bureau, there were members on the sniper team that didn't score as highly as she did on the small arms qualifications, but if she missed… God, if she missed…

_Do it_, Emily silently encouraged JJ as the knife at her throat twisted and cut further into her skin. _Do it. Do it! Do it, NOW!_

"No matter," Wyatt said, directing his comment at Rossi, completely unaware of the silent conversation that was taking place in front of him. "You're still not taking her out of here alive. I'll kill her before I let you rescue her. It'll be so easy, just a little more pressure and-"

_Please, Jennifer! DO IT NOW!_ Emily thought, tears streaking down her face as the knife at her throat dug in a little deeper.

The _crack_ of JJ's shot was cacophonous in the small space. Morgan and Rossi, who had been so focused on Wyatt and Emily that neither of them had seen JJ preparing to fire, jerked to a halt in surprise. Time slowed down as JJ remained frozen where she stood, staring down the barrel of her gun that was aimed mere millimeters away from Emily's head. Her heart, which had stopped beating as she finally edged her trigger past the release line and fired, now raced wildly in her chest.

Blood trickled out of a newly punched circular wound in Wyatt's forehead as he dropped to the ground with a hollow thump, and the knife that he'd been holding at Emily's throat finally fell away.

It was over.

JJ slipped her gun back into its holster as her feet started moving toward Emily, carrying her forward to her love before she even realized it was happening.

Emily swallowed thickly and tears coursed down her cheeks as she held JJ's gaze. Her body trembled with relief and adrenaline as she watched the blonde move closer, JJ's expression shifting from intense concentration to relief, and she felt her heart break at the love that filled JJ's eyes as she kneeled in front of her.

"Em," JJ murmured, her voice breaking over the single syllable. She drew a shuddering breath to steady herself as she reached out to run a soft, trembling finger over Emily's lips, and her eyes filled with tears as they flitted over the older woman's face.

"I'm okay," Emily whispered brokenly.

JJ licked her lips and nodded as her tears that had been building broke free, coursing down her cheeks as she murmured, "I know." Unable to restrain herself any longer, she leaned in and captured Emily's lips in a slow, sweet, tender kiss that said better than words ever could exactly how relieved she was to have gotten to her in time.

Unseen by the two women who were enjoying a quiet reunion, Morgan and Rossi were a flurry of motion. Morgan was busy roughly searching Wyatt's body for the key to Emily's handcuffs, huffing and cursing under his breath as he worked; and Rossi was looking around for Emily's clothes as he dialed 9-1-1, his normally calm demeanor lost as he yelled at the dispatcher to get EMTs to their location _'GODDAMN YESTERDAY'_!

"Yes!" Morgan hissed with relief when he finally found the key stuffed in the breast pocket of the man's flannel. He looked up to tell Emily and JJ that he found the key and couldn't help but smile at the intimate kiss the two women were sharing in spite of Emily's injuries and the unfortunate position Emily was in. While he hated to interrupt them, he also knew they needed to get Emily free. He cleared his throat loudly and said, in a soft, gentle voice, "Hold her steady, Jayje."

JJ nodded and shifted so that her weight was balanced and moved her arms to support Emily as best she could by carefully placing her hands high on the brunette's sides, away from the angriest of the older woman's bruises, so that her thumbs were brushing against her armpits. "Okay?" she asked softly.

"Perfect," Emily whispered. In truth, even JJ's gentle touch was painful, but she wasn't going to tell her that. She needed the warmth of JJ's touch. She needed the love that was shining in JJ's watery blue eyes.

Morgan made quick work of the locks holding Emily's arms above her head and he did his best to gently lower them to her sides, muttering, "Sorry. Sorry," every time she winced.

Emily drew a loud breath through her nose as pain shot through her torso and her hands began to burn with re-circulating blood once they were lowered to her lap and blood rushed to flood oxygen deprived cells. "It's okay," she whispered after each of Morgan's apologies. "I'm okay," she repeated, her voice low and rough as she saw JJ's eyes fill with fresh tears. "I'm okay."

"Here, Jayje," Morgan said, handing JJ the key. "You do her feet."

JJ nodded and quickly undid the cuffs that had been holding Emily's legs to the chair. She licked her lips as the steel clattered quietly against the concrete floor, and she tenderly traced the angry red marks on Emily's ankles. "Oh, Em."

"They're sending a Helivac, should be here in ten minutes," Rossi announced as he approached the trio. "Hey, kid."

Emily chuckled softly and met the older man's kind gaze. "Hey."

Rossi took a deep breath and smiled. "I think there's a blanket in the back of the SUV – I'll run and get it. Morgan, call Hotch and let him know we got her."

Morgan nodded at Rossi and, as the older man took off for the car, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt. It would be big on Emily, but it would be better than nothing. And he knew that once the shock of everything wore off, that the brunette would be feeling self-conscious about her nakedness. "Here," he said, as he handed the shirt to JJ. "Help her put this on," he said, as he turned away to give the women some privacy. "I'll call Hotch while you're doing that."

He kept his eyes focused on the wall across the room and as soon as Hotch picked up said, "We got her."

JJ looked at the shirt in her hand and then at Morgan's back as he stood sentry over them, his phone held tight to his ear as he said, "She's… She'll be okay. Call Garcia and let her know? … Yeah. He's dead. … No, JJ. … Yeah…"

JJ sighed and looked up at Emily as she held the shirt open in front of her. "Can I help you into this?"

Relieved that the shirt was a button-down and that it wouldn't hurt too much to put on, Emily nodded. "Of course, Jennifer," she murmured, and her heart clenched as she watched a fresh wave of tears spill from JJ's eyes as they fluttered shut. "Sweetie…"

JJ licked her lips and shook her head as her heart broke at the way her name sounded falling from Emily's lips. She had always hated her full name, had always preferred the shortened moniker of JJ, but the way it sounded when Emily said it... God, she didn't realize until that moment how much she'd been afraid that she would never hear it again. "I'm sorry," she muttered as she lifted a hand to wipe at her tears. "I'm just… it's just…"

"I know, sweetheart. I love you," Emily whispered, scooting forward in her chair and moving her legs to try and see if they would hold her; but she stopped moving and smiled softly as watery blue eyes finally opened to look at her. "I love you so, so much, Jennifer."

"I love you too, Em," JJ whispered, her voice breaking with emotion as she stopped trying to hold back her tears and just let herself cry as she carefully worked the sleeve of Morgan's shirt over Emily's left arm. She held her breath as she worked it around Emily's back, muttering, "Sorry. Sorry," as the profiler winced at the movement, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief once Emily's right arm was tucked safely in its sleeve. "Ribs?" she asked knowingly. Emily's sides were especially bruised, which was saying something considering the condition of the rest of her body.

"Yeah," Emily murmured, licking her lips as she watched JJ begin buttoning the shirt closed, the backs of JJ's fingers ghosting lightly over her tender skin.

"Broken?" JJ asked as she closed the buttons below and above her lover's breasts, her eyes beginning to tear again at the sight of the beautiful mounds so bruised and bloody from the shallow cuts Wyatt had sliced into and around them.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed and she watched as JJ's eyes flashed with anger as the blonde looked behind her, at what she assumed was Wyatt's body. She could easily see what JJ was thinking, that JJ dearly wished she could shoot him again for hurting her, and she pulled her lover's attention back to her by softly clearing her throat. "Help me up?"

Surprised blue eyes looked down at Emily's legs, which were a messy conglomeration of bruises, especially on her upper thighs and hips. "Can you walk?"

Emily's shrugged and winced as pain ricocheted through her body. "I just want to get out of here. If I can't… just carry me. I don't care. I don't care how much it hurts. I just want out of here, Jen. Please get me out of here."

Morgan, who had been standing by, turned to look at Emily and JJ and nodded resolutely. "If you can't do it on your own, I will carry you out of here myself," he promised.

Emily gave her partner a weary smile and tipped her head in thanks. "Good. Help me up," she said.

JJ nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She glanced at Morgan who sidled in beside her, and they both reached for Emily, their hands hooking under her arms as they helped lift the brunette from the chair.

"Okay?" Morgan murmured, as he steadied Emily on her feet.

"Yeah," Emily gasped. She nodded, letting him know with a look that he could let go. The bruises on her legs throbbed, and she was pretty sure she felt a few of the cuts that had clotted over break open again, but she welcomed the pain. Pain was good. Pain meant she was alive. "I'm good."

"Here's that blanket," Rossi called out as he jogged back into the room, out of breath because he had run as fast as he could to the car and back. He took in the sight of Emily in Morgan's shirt, and nodded approvingly. "Guess you don't need it." Though Emily was on her feet, he could tell that she still needed a moment, and he turned his back to her and JJ to address Morgan. "Did you get ahold of Hotch?"

Emily's legs were feeling steadier with each passing second, and she took a slow, halting step toward JJ, who was still too far away from her for her liking. She smiled, the expression one of complete relief, and lifted her hand to cradle the younger woman's face gently in her palm. A low sigh spilled from her lips as she leaned in and kissed her softly. "Thank you," she whispered against JJ's lips as she kissed her again. "Thank you for saving me."

JJ whimpered and wrapped her arms lightly around Emily's waist as she kissed her gently. Tenderly. "I love you," she whispered between kisses. "I love you. I love you."

The low, steady, thrumming beat of helicopter blades drew the profilers' attention skyward and Emily sighed as she forced herself to pull away from JJ. She blushed as she realized that Morgan and Rossi were standing not six feet away, both keeping half an eye on them in case she needed help. She licked her lips and smiled as she reached for JJ's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's get out of here."

JJ nodded and looked up to catch Morgan's eye. "Follow behind us, just in case?"

Morgan took a step back to give JJ and Emily enough room to pass and nodded. "You know it."

Rossi led the way slowly out of the abattoir as JJ released her hold on Emily's hand to wrap a protective arm around Emily's waist, supporting her as best she could, and Morgan took up the rear, watching each of Emily's steps carefully in case he needed to jump in and catch her. His caution was unneeded however, because JJ never let her fall.

So long as it was within her power to do so, JJ would never let her fall.

They met up with the flight crew of the Helivac about halfway up the trail to the clearing in front of the cabin and both Emily and JJ waved the paramedics off as they tried to swoop in and take over for JJ. The EMTs looked slightly off-put by the women's behavior but one hard, glaring look from Morgan had them acquiescing to JJ and Emily's wishes and they instead stepped back to flank the women in much the same manner as Morgan had been.

Even though there were now two EMTs flanking JJ and Emily, Morgan refused to drop his focus as he continued to watch each of the women's slow, careful steps with a vigilant eye. He had to bite his lip to contain his anger as he watched Emily hobble along the path, refusing to allow the EMTs to carry her even though the pine needles on the ground were undoubtedly uncomfortable under her bare feet. She clearly, and understandably, only wanted JJ's help, and he couldn't fault her for that in the least.

He watched JJ just as carefully as he did Emily, noting the way that she supported the majority of Emily's weight, holding her upright as they picked their way slowly up the path. Everybody on the team knew exactly how strong of a person JJ was, but her strength had never been more on display that it was in that moment, with her hand flexing against Emily's hip and her lips brushing lightly over Emily's cheek as she whispered quiet words of encouragement in her ear.

JJ's pace faltered as they neared the edge of the tree line and she sighed as she looked regretfully into her lover's eyes. "You're going to have to let them help you now," she murmured, frowning as she brushed the softest of kisses across Emily's lips. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. If I could carry you, I would, but you can't walk barefoot across the gravel."

Emily swallowed thickly, causing a fresh bubble of blood to pour from the cut under her jaw and drip down her throat, and nodded. "Okay. Stay with me?"

"Oh, sweetie," JJ purred, a soft huff of a laugh spilling from her lips in spite of herself and their situation. "There's no way anyone is going to keep me from you right now. Don't you worry about that."

"I do worry, though," Emily whispered. The reality of everything that had happened rushed over her and she turned into JJ so that her tears weren't visible. "God, Jennifer. I was so afraid that I'd never see you again."

JJ licked her lips as Emily's arms snaked around her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat at the quiet desperation in Emily's touch, and she caught Morgan's eye, flicking a glance at the EMTs in such a way that her desire was clearly translated without a word. _'Get them the fuck out of here for a minute.'_

"Guys, let's give them some space, huh?" Morgan stepped around the women and beckoned the EMTs to follow. He groaned silently at the confused glance the two men shared. The look quite clearly said that they were uncomfortable with the idea of leaving their patient. He sighed as he glanced at Emily and JJ, his heart breaking at the way Emily appeared to be so much smaller than usual, and shook his head as he stepped up to wrap a hand around the nearest paramedic's arm. "Come on, man. Just… they need a minute, okay?"

JJ sighed and brushed a soft kiss over Emily's temple as she watched Morgan and Rossi guide the EMTs away from them. "Shh, sweetheart. I know. I was afraid of the same thing." Emily's hand slipped up her back to wrap around her neck and she smiled at the achingly familiar touch, even as it drew a fresh wave of tears from her eyes. She had been so terribly, terribly afraid that she would never get a chance to hold Emily like this again. A sob bubbled in her throat and she screwed her eyes shut as she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. "Emily…"

Emily nodded and hummed softly as she pulled JJ in closer, completely ignoring the flashes of pain that ricocheted through her body. "Jen…" she whimpered.

"I'm right here, Em," JJ whispered brokenly, her voice thick with tears. "I got ya. You're okay, baby."

Emily cried and held JJ tighter, burying her face in the crook of the blonde's neck as she clung to her. "I love you so much," she breathed.

JJ lifted her face to the sky and swallowed thickly as she carefully threaded her fingers through Emily's hair to hold the brunette's head to her shoulder. She wrapped her arm a little tighter around Emily's back, trying to be as careful of her injuries as she possibly could, and held her close. Her heart broke at the way Emily was clinging to her as the brunette's body shook with her sobs. She wanted to fix it, wanted to make Emily feel better, but she knew that the only thing she could do was to just be there and hold her while she cried.

"We really need to get going," the younger EMT said in a hushed whisper. "We still haven't even examined her."

Morgan and Rossi shared a look and nodded. Neither of them particularly liked the idea of forcing JJ and Emily apart, no matter how necessary it was, but they also knew that Emily needed medical attention.

"I'll do it," Morgan said. He sighed and ran a hand over his head as he broke away from the group and started toward JJ and Emily.

The crunching of a boot on gravel pulled JJ's eyes to Morgan's approach and she nodded at the apologetic look he gave her. It was time to go. She brushed a kiss across Emily's forehead and sighed. "Come on, baby. We need to get you to the hospital."

Emily grunted and shook her head. "I hate hospitals."

"I know, darling," JJ murmured, her eyes softening as she felt Emily's body relax slightly. "But you need to go."

"You too?" Emily asked in a small, childlike voice.

"Always, my love," JJ assured her, and she smiled softly at Emily as they broke apart. "I love you."

Emily smiled shyly as JJ's thumbs brushed gently across her cheeks, smoothing away her tears. "I love you too, Jennifer."

JJ dropped one last kiss to Emily's lips before she took a small, regretful step back and glanced at the EMTs who were watching them. "Okay," she said, nodding at the men as she slipped her hand into Emily's and gave it a quick squeeze before she moved out of the paramedics' way.

The paramedics wasted no time carefully sweeping Emily into a basket-carry and they made their way slowly around the cabin to the clearing in front of the house where their helicopter waited for them, its rotors spinning slowly as it idled and waited to take off again.

JJ chewed her lip fitfully as she watched the men set Emily onto a stretcher. Once she was secured, they lifted her up into the helicopter bay, and JJ winced as she watched Emily's face contort in pain as she was moved around. The EMTs were being as careful as they could, but every bump sent bolts of pain shooting through Emily's body.

"We only have room for one of you," the pilot told the profilers, as if it there was even a question about who would accompany Emily on the flight.

"Go, JJ," Rossi said, tipping his head knowingly at the petite blonde. He knew she would have to be interrogated about the shooting, but he also knew it that there was no way in hell that JJ was going to let Emily out of her sight any time soon. "Take care of her, and we'll meet you two at the hospital after we hand the scene over to the locals."

JJ smiled and nodded, giving him a murmured, "Thanks," before she hopped into the helicopter to take her rightful spot at Emily's side.

"Hey," Emily murmured as she reached for JJ's hand.

"Hey yourself," JJ murmured, smiling at Emily as she leaned in and kissed her softly as the EMTs pulled the twin doors to the helicopter bay shut.

Morgan and Rossi stepped back as the Helivac's rotors whined loudly and started spinning faster and faster. They shielded their eyes against the buffeting wind that grew as the blades picked up speed, and they both let out a sigh of relief when the helicopter lifted into the air.


	37. Part 2: Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

By the time Hotch and the rest of the team arrived at the hospital after clearing the scene at Wyatt's property, it was already after one o'clock in the afternoon. Trailing a respectful distance behind the BAU Agents was a Portland FBI Investigator, who looked to be slightly in awe of the elite profiling team. He had already taken Morgan and Rossi's statements about what had happened, and he was with them now because he needed to get a similar statement from JJ. Not because he was interested in punishing her for the shot, but because if Wyatt's family decided to press charges against the female agent, they needed to dot all their Is and cross all their Ts when it came to their report.

The BAU Unit Chief peeked through the glass window into Emily's room and his gaze softened at what he saw. After the harrowing search for and rescue of Agent Prentiss, it was nice to see that both she and JJ had found enough peace within themselves to actually sleep. The Communications Liaison was sitting in a chair beside Emily's bed and was bent over at the waist so that her head was pillowed on the blankets by Emily's hip. Emily's left hand was curved around JJ's jaw, the tips of her fingers threaded into the blonde's hair, and her other was covering JJ's that was resting atop her heart – no doubt as a reassurance to JJ that it was still beating.

He sighed and turned to the men behind him. "They're sleeping. Wait here, I'll bring JJ out." He paused thoughtfully and added, "Morgan, come sit with Prentiss in case she wakes up."

The two men slipped soundlessly into the room and Hotch sighed softly as he reached out to place a gentle hand on JJ's small shoulder. He crouched down in front of her as she began to stir and gave her an apologetic smile as her eyes fluttered open. "We need to get your statement," he whispered.

JJ hummed sleepily and murmured, "I know."

"We can do it in the hall here, so you don't have to leave her," Hotch added quietly.

A small, embarrassed smile tweaked JJ's lips, and she nodded her understanding. Earlier, when the doctors had been taking Emily into X-Ray, they had tried to separate the two of them and she had all but thrown a tantrum to make sure that she was allowed to follow Emily into the room. "Now?"

He nodded.

Of course it would be now.

She carefully worked her way out from under Emily's touch, pausing in her movement every time Emily made a sound, until she was able to push herself to her feet beside the bed. She swayed slightly as her body recovered from being woken from an exhausted sleep at such an awkward position, and looked across the bed to Morgan who was watching her carefully. "Come get me the minute she wakes up?"

"The second I think she's coming around, I'll be out there," he promised.

JJ took a deep breath and smiled her thanks before she padded out the door in her socks. It was unprofessional, but her boots were under the chair in Emily's room and she just didn't have the energy to pull them back on. The physical exertion of staying awake as long as she had was hard enough to recover from, but when the emotional strain she'd suffered was added into the mix – well, Hotch was lucky that he was actually able to wake her up. The human body was only meant to handle so much.

The harsh lights of the hall reflected brightly off the gleaming white linoleum floor and the industrial off-white walls, and she winced as she waited for her eyes to adjust. Once her eyes had grown used to the light, she sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she met Reid's concerned gaze. "She'll be okay, Spence," she whispered.

Reid swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing prominently in his throat as he nodded. "And you?"

"I'm good," she assured him. She looked past the lanky genius and tipped her head at an unfamiliar face in a cheap navy blue suit. "You need my statement?"

The FBI Investigator nodded and pulled a recorder out of his pocket. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Special Agent Jeffrey Voss."

"Right," JJ murmured, not particularly caring what the man's name was. She just wanted to get this whole thing over with so that she could get back to Emily in case she woke up. She closed her eyes as she pictured the scene as it had unfolded and swallowed thickly as she opened them to look at Voss. "We arrived at Mr. Wyatt's property as part of a routine search following Agent Prentiss' abduction as traffic cameras showed that it was a dark-colored Dodge pickup that rammed our vehicle, and he was the registered owner of a black Dodge Ram. The vehicle in question was discovered behind the main house on his property with significant body damage to the front of it, and we called it in to Agent Hotchner who secured a warrant for us to search the property. The main house was clear, so we started with the next closest outbuilding that our technical analyst had spotted via satellite imaging.

"The barn was about five hundred yards from the back of the house and, as we were standing outside of it, we heard a scream that sounded like it came from inside the building. Not wanting to waste any time in case he was our unsub, we entered the structure. A scan of the main room found that it was empty except for a bunch of woodworking tools. We were maybe twenty feet into the building when we heard another scream… a woman's scream. It was then that I noticed another, smaller room built out into the space. Agent Morgan opened the door and we entered in a standard Y-formation. Agent Morgan filed right, Agent Rossi moved left, and I held the point.

"She was there, in the center of the room… sitting on a chair with her arms restrained over her head so that she was essentially hanging from them…"

The haunting pain in JJ's voice as she recounted what she'd seen sent shivers down all the men's spines, even Rossi's – and he had been there to see it all first-hand, himself.

"He had already beaten her pretty severely, and he'd started to use the knife on her as well. The suspect crouched behind Agent Prentiss as we entered, using her as a shield. He had what looked to be a hunting knife held against her throat. He taunted us as we all leveled our weapons on him, and he pressed the blade of his knife into Em-… Agent Prentiss's throat, hard enough to draw blood as we stood there and watched. Agents Morgan and Rossi tried to talk him down, tried to talk him into dropping his knife and surrendering, but he refused. He said something along the lines of, 'I'll kill her before I'll let you save her'…

"I was standing point," JJ spoke again, her voice soft. Thoughtful. "I had the best angle. Agent Prentiss was begging me with her eyes to take the shot, but I hesitated because he was so close to her that there was zero room for error. If I missed, I'd either miss completely… or I'd kill her…"

Hotch licked his lips and took a deep breath as he imagined what JJ must have been feeling in that moment.

"But he forced my hand when he dug the point of his knife further into her throat, just above her jugular. He was serious about killing her. It would have taken just a little more pressure for him to slice through her artery and we wouldn't have been able to stop the bleeding in time. I shifted my position slightly to try and minimize the chance I'd have of accidentally shooting her, and… I fired."

"Jayje," Reid murmured, shaking his head.

JJ licked her lips again and met the Investigator's gaze unflinchingly. "My shot hit Wyatt in the forehead. It was a kill shot. The knife he had been holding to Agent Prentiss' throat fell, and he dropped to the ground behind her."

Voss cleared his throat and nodded. Her story matched the other agents' – not that he'd expected it to be different – and he couldn't help but be impressed with the mettle she showed by taking that shot.

If only he knew what she had to lose should she have missed.

"I think that'll do it then. Thank you for doing this now, Agent Jareau. I don't have any other questions," the Investigator said. "Agent Hotchner, would you like a copy of my report?"

Hotch nodded and reached out to shake Voss' hand. "That would be great, thanks. You can just send it to me back at Quantico."

"Can I go back to her now?" JJ asked.

The Investigator nodded, and was surprised when JJ turned on her heel without another word and disappeared into Emily's room. "They're close, her and Agent Prentiss?"

Hotch arched a brow and nodded. _You have no idea_, he thought, even as he answered, "We all are. You can't do what we do and not be."

"Well, that just makes what she did up there all the more impressive," Voss said.

"You have no idea," Rossi murmured under his breath.

JJ could hear Hotch and the Investigator talking behind her as she quietly slipped back inside Emily's room. She sighed as her gaze landed on her slumbering lover, her eyes cataloguing each of the brunette's bruises, and she wasted no time silently making her way back to Emily's side.

"She hasn't made a peep," Morgan whispered.

"Good." JJ licked her lips and nodded as she looked down at her lover. "She needs the rest."

Morgan nodded his agreement as he, too, turned his attention back onto Emily. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," JJ answered automatically and smiled as she caught the disbelieving look Morgan gave her. "Okay… I'm okay. We got to her in time… she's still here… she'll heal. That's all I can ask for at this point."

"Yeah," Morgan murmured. "I was afraid for a minute there that he really was going to kill her. It was in his eyes, he would have done it."

JJ sighed and nodded as she reached out to run a light finger over Emily's jaw. She licked her lips as she carefully set her fingers over the bandage covering the brunette's pulse point to feel the reassuring beat of Emily's blood pumping under her fingertips. After recounting what had happened, she needed that tactile reminder that Emily was still alive. "I was absolutely terrified I was going to lose her."

"But you took the shot."

"I took the shot," JJ said.

"It was a damn good shot."

JJ huffed a quiet laugh and ducked her head. "Thanks."

"So what did the doctors say?" Morgan asked, changing the subject.

"She has a concussion… again." JJ shook her head. "Broken ribs on both sides, bone bruises but no breaks in her hips and thighs, and a plastic surgeon ended up needing about two hundred and twenty stitches and something like sixty butterfly sutures to close up all her cuts. She fell asleep not long after he'd started on her, so at least she didn't have to sit and watch it all, though."

Morgan hissed softly. "Damn."

JJ nodded. "It certainly wasn't a good time," she agreed quietly. She bit her lip as a shiver rolled down her spine at the memory of the way the surgeon had worked methodically down Emily's body, sewing where needed, placing butterfly bandages where it wasn't. He'd been meticulous in his care, and before he'd left he'd promised her that Emily would have little to no scars that were visible. On the outside anyways. "She's been out since then though… so that's good for her, at least."

"Not so much for you, though," Morgan wisely noted. He smiled reassuringly at JJ as she nodded her agreement. "Did they happen to say when can we get her out of here?"

"Yeah. They want to keep her until tomorrow just to keep an eye on her ribs, they seem concerned about them possibly puncturing a lung, but then we should be able to get her home. The trick will be keeping her here until they think she's okay to be released."

"Eh, I'm sure she'll do it for her wife. She did last time," Morgan quipped, trying to lighten the mood. His smile faltered as he saw JJ's eyes fill with tears. "Shit. I'm sorry, Jayje. I was just playin'."

"No, I know," JJ muttered. She waved a hand at him as she took a deep breath and tore her eyes away from Emily so that she could look at him. "I know you were kidding. I just… god, Derek… we keep talking about getting married someday and I almost lost her… I…"

"Jayje," Morgan murmured, his own eyes stinging with tears at the pain in JJ's voice.

JJ shook her head and waved her hand at him again, not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Have you talked to Pen?"

Morgan took a deep breath and nodded. "Yup. I called her while we were waiting for the SWAT team to get to the property. She sends her love to both of you."

"Thank you," JJ whispered. She turned her head and wiped at her eyes. "And what about the Ambassador?"

Hotch shot Morgan a glance as he slipped into the room in time to hear JJ's question. "I called her right after I talked to Morgan when you guys were still at Wyatt's property. She said that she is scheduled to be in a European relations summit beginning the day after tomorrow at that it will run through next week, but that if you or Emily decide that you want her to come back, she will cancel and return home as soon as possible."

JJ turned and looked over her shoulder at Hotch. "Thank you. I'll leave that decision to Emily, though."

Hotch just tipped his head in understanding as he eased into the space beside JJ. "I'm proud of you, for what you did up there," he said softly. "I know that wasn't an easy shot for you to take."

"It wasn't," JJ confirmed, her gaze automatically turning to focus on Emily. "But getting her out of there was worth it."

Hotch nodded and gave JJ one of his rare smiles. "It was. Also, I talked to Strauss earlier and she's put our team on a mandatory two-week stand-down beginning the moment we land back at Quantico. And she's given approval for you to be out for as long as Emily requires assistance, if you want it."

"That was nice of her," JJ murmured, frowning as she watched Emily begin to toss in her sleep. She reached out and took Emily's hand in hers as she leaned in to brush a soft kiss across her forehead. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie. I'm right here," she whispered.

JJ's comforting words did little to ease Emily's disquiet and she began thrashing in her sleep, grunting with pain as she cried out, "Jennifer! No, not her!"

Hotch licked his lips and tipped his head at the door. "Morgan and I will wait outside with Rossi and Reid," he said. "Come and get us when you two are ready for company."

Morgan looked for a moment like he was about to argue with Hotch's order, but one glance at JJ's heartbroken expression had him swallowing his objections. He loved Emily and wanted to do everything he could to help her, but JJ was in love with Emily, and she needed to help her through this so much more than he did. So he just nodded and walked around the bed, pausing to place a reassuring hand on JJ's shoulder before he followed Hotch out the door.

JJ sighed as she heard the door click shut and she carefully climbed onto the bed beside Emily. Being mindful of Emily's injuries, she braced her right hand above her shoulder as she leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Wake up, sweetie," she murmured, kissing her again softly. "Come on, Em. I'm right here. Come back to me, baby."

"Jen…"

"Right here, Em," JJ purred. "I'm right here." She smiled softly at Emily as her eyes finally fluttered open. "Hey you."

"You're okay," Emily whispered.

JJ nodded and dipped her head to brush a light, reassuring kiss across Emily's lips. "I am. It was just a dream, baby. We're both okay now."

Emily sighed and relaxed back into her bed. "We're safe."

"We are. You want to talk about it?" JJ asked gently.

Emily closed her eyes and shook her head as snippets of what had happened to her in Wyatt's barn, and the threats he'd made to kidnap 'that blonde communications bitch even though she's not really my type' next, flashed across her mind. "Not really," she answered honestly.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes," Emily murmured, reaching up and weakly tugging at JJ's shoulder. "Come lay down with me."

JJ licked her lips and frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea with your ribs, baby."

"It's an excellent idea," Emily argued weakly. "I need you with me, Jen."

JJ smiled as she watched Emily yawn and shake her head, as she tried to fight off the sedative side effects of her pain medication. "I'm right here."

"Not close enough," Emily muttered. "I need you, Jennifer. Right here, next to me. Please."

JJ sighed and rolled her eyes as she relented and shifted carefully atop the bed until she was able to lie down beside Emily. "Better?"

Emily grunted and pulled JJ into her side. She winced as pain flared through her, but it was worth it when she felt JJ's head settle atop her shoulder. "Much," she whispered. "I love you."

A soft smile tweaked JJ's lips as she felt Emily's arm loop around her waist. It was a feeling that she hadn't been sure she'd ever feel again. "I love you more."

"Not possible," Emily argued. She gazed blearily at JJ and sighed. This was the first time since she'd been rescued that she'd been completely alone with the blonde, and there was just so much she needed to tell her. She licked her lips as she tried to focus her mind, and she rubbed at her eyes with her free hand as she felt the opiate-induced fog inside her mind slip back by a fraction. "You kept me sane in there," she whispered. "I thought about you every time he'd start to hit or kick or use his knife on me…" her voice trailed off shakily and she licked her lips to try and keep her train of thought. When she spoke again, her voice was even quieter than before. "Every time he'd start to hurt me, I'd think about the way you feel in my arms, your scent, the taste of your kiss…"

JJ was helpless to contain her tears as she listened to Emily finally begin to share some of what had happened to her.

"I'd surround myself with thoughts of you as he beat me. And the thought of you made it hurt less. I honestly didn't even feel some of his kicks because I was so wrapped up in my memories of you. The way we danced under the stars at Charlie's vineyard… the night you moved in with me…"

"I thought about that too," JJ whispered, carefully pushing herself up so that she could look Emily in the eye. "In order to not lose my mind while we were trying to figure out who took you. I thought about our first kiss…"

"The first time we made love," Emily whispered, her lips quirking up in a small smile.

JJ blushed and nodded. "Everything. Your confabulation… the afternoon we finally admitted our feelings… all of it."

"I thought about 'someday' a lot," Emily confessed softly, wanting JJ to know that, even more than her memories, it was her desire to have a real future with her that kept her going when it would have been so easy to give in.

JJ swallowed thickly as her eyes filled with tears. "Me too," she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion. She shook her head as her tears spilled over and coursed slowly down her cheeks. God, to think that she might have lost this beautiful woman forever. She leaned in and captured Emily's lips in a sweet, gentle kiss and, before her mind could censor her heart, she asked for the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world. "Marry me?"

The question fell quietly upon Emily's lips, which quirked up in a shy smile as brown eyes opened to focus on blue. "Jennifer?"

JJ smiled hesitantly and kissed Emily again. She hadn't been intending to propose while Emily was in the hospital, but the words had just spilled out before she could stop them and now she was left with the crippling, yet entirely unrealistic, fear that Emily would say no. "I know that this isn't the most romantic setting, Em." She sighed and leaned her forehead to rest lightly atop Emily's. "But if all of this taught us anything, it's that 'someday' isn't guaranteed. I have loved you for so long that I honestly can't remember what it feels like to not love you, and I cannot imagine my life without you in it. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep next to you every night, knowing that you are mine forever." She smiled as Emily brushed a soft kiss over her lips. "Please, say that you'll marry me?"

Emily lifted a hand to cradle JJ's face tenderly in her palm and lifted her chin to capture JJ's lips with her own. "Yes, Jennifer," she whispered. She smiled as she watched JJ's obvious unease shift to relief and elation, and she couldn't resist adding, "There is nothing I want more than to marry you and make you my wife."

A wide, beaming smile creased JJ's face as she tipped her head down to capture Emily's lips in a sweet celebratory kiss that sent her heart racing. "Yes?" she couldn't resist asking.

"A million times over, yes," Emily assured her. "I love you so very much, Jennifer."

A bubble of laughter spilled from JJ's lips as she ran her fingers across Emily's brow and down, behind her ear until she was lightly holding her head in place as she kissed her again and again, and tears once again rolled freely down her face. "I love you too, sweetheart," she whispered. "God, I wish I could really hold you right now," she breathed.

Emily yawned and smiled. "I want that too, baby. We'll get there soon, I promise."

"We will," JJ murmured. She brushed a soft kiss across Emily's lips. "We most certainly will."

Emily hummed and screwed her eyes shut as she tried to stifle another yawn. "Damn, that hurts," she whined, as pain flashed through her broken ribs. "When can I go home?"

JJ chuckled and rolled her eyes. "When the doctors say you can," she said in a firm tone.

"You'll stay with me until then?" Emily murmured, her eyes fluttering closed as she finally began to lose her battle against the drugs in her system.

"Oh, sweetheart," JJ whispered affectionately. "You better believe it. You just agreed to marry me. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

Emily smiled dopily. "Lucky me."

"Lucky me," JJ whispered. It was obvious that Emily was perhaps only ten seconds away from falling asleep again, and she smiled as she leaned in and kissed her softly. "Sweet dreams, my love. I'll be here when you wake up."

When it became clear that Emily was down for the count, JJ dropped one last kiss to Emily's lips before she slipped out of the bed and padded across the room to the door. She wiped at her eyes as she opened it and she smiled at the sight of Morgan, Rossi, Reid, and Hotch sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall opposite Emily's door.

"You okay?" Morgan asked as he took-in JJ's red-rimmed eyes.

JJ nodded. "Amazing."

"You look like you were crying," Reid observed.

Again, JJ nodded. "I was, Spence. But happy tears this time."

"She's okay?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah." JJ sucked her lower lip between her teeth and glanced over her shoulder at Emily who was fast asleep in her bed. "I…" She turned her attention back to their BAU family. "I asked her to marry me."

Morgan grinned. "And?"

"She said yes," JJ shared. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and grinned. "She said yes."

The four men let out quiet _whoops_ of happiness as they all clambered to their feet and, before JJ could brace herself for the onslaught, she was wrapped in a giant group hug. Quiet words of congratulations rained down on her as they all held her, and she laughed as they finally let her go.

"You better call Garcia," Morgan said.

JJ nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right." Her eyes widened as something she hadn't considered crossed her mind. Proposing to Emily had been such a spontaneous thing that she hadn't asked her mother for permission. "The Ambassador…"

Hotch smiled. "Will be fine," he assured her. "After what you did this morning, I don't think there's anything you could do that would lower your standing in that woman's book. I know she's a tough nut, JJ, but you more than earned her respect today. But, if I dare say, you've had it for a while now anyways."

The Communications Liaison took a deep breath and glanced back into the dimly lit room behind her. Her mind was spinning and she needed Emily's presence to help ground her. "Do you guys want to come in for a bit? She's sleeping…"

The men all shared a look before they nodded.

"Yeah," Morgan said, smiling as he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to JJ's forehead before he slipped past JJ and walked into Emily's room.

"Coffee, anyone?" Rossi asked. He shook his head and grinned when everybody nodded eagerly. "Right, then. Hotch, you wanna help me?"

"Sure," Hotch agreed, giving JJ's shoulder a gentle squeeze before he started down the hall for the elevator.

"I'll go get some playing cards from the gift shop," Reid offered, and quickly turned on his heel to scamper off for the lobby.

JJ smiled as she watched the team separate and she felt her heart swell with love. It had been an incredibly tense few days, these last eighteen hours especially, and she knew she wouldn't have made it through it all without their support. She sighed as she carefully closed the door behind her, thinking that she certainly was a very lucky girl to have so many wonderful, caring people in her life.

She chewed her lip as she pulled her phone from her purse, and she glanced nervously at Morgan who had already grabbed the second chair that was in the room and pulled it over by Emily's bed. "So… any bets on Penelope's reaction?"

Morgan chuckled and shook his head. "It'll be loud, I'm sure."

"Well, let's see. Shall we?" JJ murmured, smiling as she dialed Garcia's direct line.

_"It's about time you finally called me!"_ Garcia answered on the first ring. _"I've been stuck getting updates from my Chocolate Adonis all afternoon – which haven't really been all that informative, by the way, Miss I Can't Take Two Seconds to Give Anyone an Update."_

JJ smiled and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Pen."

_"Because I know how much you love her, I forgive your tunnel vision. So… how is she?"_

"She'll be fine," JJ said. "She's sleeping now."

_"Good… that's good. When are you coming home?"_

JJ shook her head. "That is the million-dollar question. Hopefully she'll be released tomorrow, but the doctors are pretty concerned about her broken ribs."

_"My poor princess,"_ Garcia cooed.

"My princess," JJ corrected.

_"Well, duh, but you don't have a monopoly on Ms. Sexy McBadass," Garcia_ drawled.

"Actually, I do," JJ informed her, a wide smile tweaking her lips as she anticipated her friend's reaction. "I asked her to marry me. And she said yes."

_"YES! YES! YES! I KNEW IT!"_ Garcia screamed, her excited voice easily carrying out of the phone so that Morgan could hear her as well. Hell, people in the next room over might have been able to hear her.

JJ winced and laughed as she pulled her phone away from her ear so that she didn't rupture an eardrum. Across the bed from her, Morgan was chuckling and shaking his head at their friend's antics.

When Garcia stopped screaming, she asked, _"I'm maid of honor, right?"_

"I'll let you fight Spence for that honor," JJ teased, enjoying the lightness of the moment after what had been an incredibly long and stress-filled few days.

_"I can take his skinny ass,"_ Garcia muttered.

JJ laughed. "No hurting Spence. I was kidding. Of course I want you to be my maid of honor. We'll talk about it all later, okay?"

_"You betcha,"_ Garcia quipped. _"Go give your fiancée a kiss from me and tell her that I am so incredibly, incredibly relieved that she is okay. Keep me posted on everything that is happening there and I'll see you guys when you get back."_

"You got it, Pen," JJ murmured. "Thanks."

_"Oh, Jayje,"_ Garcia hummed. _"You know I love you both, right?"_

"And we love you too, Pen," JJ said. "I'll give you a call when we find out when Em's getting released, okay?"

_"Sounds good, my little blonde bombshell. Garcia, out!"_


	38. Author's Note

This isn't an update. Sorry. I know that's probably making a bunch of you swear at me through your computer screens at the moment, but I figured it'd be best to do this and let you all know what was going on...

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FF admins have been clearing fics that they deem inappropriate from the site. Namely, those that have explicit content. As the majority of my stories fall into this category, I have already had a couple stories removed by the admins. Thankfully, my longer stories have not been amongst those targeted (so far), but because I have been a victim of this pogrom, I figured it'd be best to let you all know where else I post in case this story get pulled from (they don't give any notice that it will be happening, it's just a *poof* your fic is gone kind of a thing).

.

(Just take out the spaces... you know the drill)

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My webpage: **mjduncan . wordpress . com**

AO3: **archiveofourown / users / mjduncan** (note: you can download fics off of this site to read on your eReaders if you'd like)

LJ: **author18 . livejournal . com**

Dreamwidth: **mjduncan . dreamwidth . org**

.

So, yeah. I have been battling a wicked case of writer's block so that's why there hasn't been an update for this lately. Hopefully my Muse will return soon and I'll be able to get something up on this, but until then, thank you all for reading and continuing to hang with me on this thing.

~MJ


	39. Part 2: Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

The feeling of somebody tugging at her I.V. woke Emily, and she blinked groggily as she opened her eyes. The room around her was dark except for the light in the bathroom that spilled from the cracked door, and she licked her lips as she turned her head to look at the nurse who was fiddling with her I.V.

"Just changing out your fluids," the nurse whispered.

"Time is it?" Emily murmured.

"A little after three in the morning," the nurse answered. "How are you feeling? Do you need more pain medication?"

Emily shook her head. She hurt, but it wasn't intolerable and she hated the way pain medication made her feel. "I'm okay."

"Well, make sure you let us know before it gets too out of control because then we'll have a much harder time getting the pain levels manageable again."

This was something Emily knew, unfortunately, a little too well and she nodded her understanding. "I know. I'm okay for now though. Thanks."

"Thank you," the nurse whispered. She noticed the way Emily's eyes dropped to look at the blonde cradled against her side, and she smiled. Even if she hadn't been instructed to let the pretty blonde share her bed (which was against hospital policy), she would have let it slide simply because the connection between the two women was so painfully obvious that she didn't dare try and separate them after everything they had been through. "You two get some more rest," she said. "I'll pop back by in a couple hours right before my shift ends to check on you."

Emily yawned and nodded, and once the nurse was gone and the door to her room was closed, she tightened her hold on JJ's waist and pressed a soft kiss to the blonde's brow. Her eyes fluttered closed as she took a deep breath, inhaling the subtle scent of JJ's perfume and shampoo, and she smiled. She hadn't been sure she would ever be able to hold JJ like this again, and she cherished the fact that she was able to.

Always a light sleeper anyways, JJ woke up at the feeling of Emily's lips against her skin and she smiled as she felt Emily kiss her again softly. "You need to sleep," she whispered.

"Mmm, don't wanna," Emily murmured, smiling. "I just want to lay here and hold my fiancée."

"God, will you two knock it off already," Morgan's sleepy voice rang out from the far corner of the room where he was trying to sleep on an entirely too small foldout bed. "I just want to sleep."

Emily shot JJ a confused look. She distinctly remembered cajoling JJ to get into bed with her for the night, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember anything about Morgan staying with them as well. "What's he doing here?"

"He's trying to sleep," Morgan grumbled petulantly as he made a show of readjusting his pillow and changing positions on the almost toddler-sized foldout bed.

"He didn't want to leave us unprotected. I tried to tell him that we'd be fine, but he wanted to be here just in case," JJ whispered. Really, she'd been tempted to try and get Hotch to order him back to the team's hotel, but she knew that Emily's kidnapping had affected him nearly as much as it had her because of their close, bromance-type bond and she didn't have the heart to try and make him leave. If it made him feel better to stay with Emily for a while to make sure that the brunette was safe, then she was more than fine with it. Besides, she owed him for how he'd taken care of her when Emily had been missing.

Emily hummed softly and nodded her understanding as she began rubbing small circles on the small of JJ's back. "Okay," she breathed. Truth be told, while she wanted nothing more than to be alone with JJ, she did find a large measure of comfort in the knowledge that Morgan was nearby and ready to step between them and any danger that might appear.

"Okay," JJ murmured. She smirked and added more loudly, "He's being a pain in the ass, that's what."

"Shut-up, Jareau," Morgan chuckled. He smiled at the two women who remained wrapped around each other even as JJ joked with him and said, "Now, be a good girl, kiss your fiancée goodnight, and go the fuck to sleep. I'm tired."

Emily laughed. "You know," she told JJ in a mock-whisper, wanting Morgan to hear her, "if I could actually move without it hurting so much, I'd flip you over and just have my way with you right now so that he'd be forced to leave the room."

"I'd just record it," Morgan retorted, knowing that Emily was just teasing him. "Sell it online or something. Hot FBI Girls Gone Wild or…" His voice trailed off. "Damn, I would totally buy that." _If it wasn't like watching my sister get it on. That's just all kinds of wrong_, he added silently to himself.

JJ rolled her eyes and shook her head. There was no way she was going to let them go _there_ until Emily had the all-clear from her doctors, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun with their friend in the meantime. "Kiss me," she whispered, arching a brow suggestively.

Even though Emily didn't know what, exactly, JJ had planned, she wasn't going to refuse her request, and she smiled as she lifted her chin to capture JJ's lips in a slow, sweet kiss. It wasn't anything spectacularly passionate, just a simple clasping of lips, a tender reaffirmation of love and affection, but JJ moan loudly into it as if she were only moments away from orgasm.

"Oh god!" Morgan yelled, bolting upright to glare disbelievingly at the two women. "You. Are. Not!"

Emily chuckled, doing her best to ignore the quick flash of pain the laugh sent firing through her system, and flicked her tongue over JJ's lips playfully as the blonde pulled away. "No, we're not," she said, her voice strained. She knew that JJ noticed it too, because the blonde was giving her a wholly concerned look and she sighed as she shook her head, silently telling her that she was fine.

"Good," Morgan retorted. He'd heard the pain in Emily's voice as well and if it weren't for the fact that he knew she'd outright lie to him about how much pain she was in, he would have asked her about it.

Relieved that he was giving her something to focus on besides her pain, Emily added, "But if you don't knock off your whining, I'll find a way to make it happen. Go to sleep, Morgan."

"You go to sleep."

"Both of you go to sleep," JJ said, slipping into the role of the grown-up as she so often had to do when Morgan and Emily were together.

Emily smiled sweetly at JJ. "Goodnight kiss?"

"Please no moaning," Morgan whined as he flopped back onto his bed.

"No moaning," JJ agreed as she leaned in and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to Emily's lips. "Sweet dreams, Em."

"Mmm, sweet dreams, Jennifer," Emily whispered huskily. For as fun as teasing Morgan had been, she was already exhausted from it and she couldn't hold back the yawn that escaped her. She whimpered as her broken ribs flared with pain from the expansion of her lungs and she swallowed thickly as she screwed her eyes shut to try and block out the pain. It wasn't working however, and she knew that no matter how much she hated the way the pain medication made her feel, she needed it if she was going to get any more rest. She reached out with a trembling hand for the remote that would get a nurse to come to the room.

Not even a full minute passed before the door to the room was opened, spilling the bright light from the hall into the dimly lit space for a moment before the door was closed behind the nurse who had been checking her I.V. when Emily had woken up. "Is there something you need?"

"Pain medication, I think," JJ answered for Emily, whose eyes were screwed shut tight as she breathed fast and shallow in an attempt to get her pain under control. She bit her lip as she fought the urge to take the brunette into her arms, knowing that even though she wanted nothing more than to hold Emily and help chase away her pain, that her touch would only make it worse.

"I figured as much," the nurse said knowingly as she pulled a syringe out of the pocket of her scrubs. She quickly inserted the needle into the injection port and slowly depressed the plunger on the syringe. "You should start feeling that real soon," she told Emily as she flipped the safety cover back over the needle. "Is there anything else?"

JJ studied Emily carefully for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't think so, no. Thank you."

"No problem. You all get some rest."

"I hate this," Emily whined softly as the door closed behind the retreating nurse.

"I know, sweetie," JJ murmured, giving in to her need to touch Emily by leaning in to brush a soft kiss across her lips. "But you need it." She sighed and ghosted her fingers over the slope of Emily's jaw, hovering just above the bruised skin. "I need you to get better, Em," she whispered. "I need you to come home with me. And that means you need to rest and take the pain medication on schedule and do everything the doctors ask of you – especially when you don't want to."

Emily groaned and nodded. "I know. I just…"

"I know," JJ assured her. She kissed her again softly, trying not to move for fear of making Emily hurt worse. "Would you be more comfortable if I moved to the chair?"

"Never," Emily muttered, tightening her hold on JJ's waist. "I want you here. Where I can feel you." A few seconds passed and she added in a soft voice, barely louder than a breath, "You make me feel safe."

JJ smiled. "Okay. Then close your eyes and try to fall asleep, baby. I'll be right here the whole time, I promise."

"Good," Emily mumbled. "Kiss me?"

"Like I could ever say no to that," JJ murmured, chuckling softly as she leaned in and placed a careful kiss to Emily's lips. "Just sleep, love."

Emily's eyes fluttered shut and a small smile lifted the corner of her lips as she relaxed back into the bed. "Love you."

"Love you more," JJ whispered. When she was sure Emily was out, she looked over at Morgan, who she could see was staring purposefully at the ceiling, and said, "Thank you."

Morgan turned to look at JJ and smiled. "You're welcome. Now, go to sleep. You're going to need your rest too, Jareau. We both know that Prentiss isn't going to be a happy camper so long as she's in here."

+++/+++\+++

Dawn had barely broken when Morgan's phone began to ring, and both he and JJ groaned at the sound. Between Emily's nurses coming in and out of the room all night neither of them had gotten a very good sleep and both were more than a little annoyed that what sleep they had managed to find was being interrupted.

Not wanting to wake Emily, Morgan fumbled with his phone and quickly turned off the ringer as he lifted it to his ear. "Morgan."

JJ listened with half an ear as she pushed herself up to get a better look at Emily, who was grimacing in her sleep. She sighed and ran a soft hand over Emily's brow, trying to soothe her with a touch as she whispered, "Shh, sweetie. It's okay."

"Uh huh," Morgan whispered. "No, I understand. Right… Spence will be here when? … Okay. Yeah. Have him bring me a coffee." He sighed as he sat up and slid his feet into his boots. He pinned his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he quickly laced them up and when he was done he stood up and stretched. "She's doing okay," he said, glancing at Emily who was still sleeping. "Had a few rough moments during the night, but overall she's doing okay. … Yeah, I'll let JJ know."

Needing to know what was going on, JJ pushed herself up onto her elbow so that she could look at Morgan. She wanted to sit up, but Emily's arm around her waist prevented it and she didn't want to risk waking her. "What's going on?"

"We're heading back up to the scene," Morgan said softly, casting a concerned look at Emily. "LEOs have found the heads in a small bunker under that third structure on the property that we never searched. From what Hotch said, it's his trophy room and he and Rossi want us to go have a look around to see what else we can learn about this guy."

JJ nodded. While they usually tried to get out of town as quickly as possible after a case, it wasn't unusual for the team to occasionally spend a little extra time going through a scene and trying to figure out how, exactly, their unsub worked so that they might be able to make faster conclusions in the future. "Do I need to go?"

"No," Morgan said, shaking his head. "You are to stay here and make sure that your fiancée behaves herself." He grinned. "Hotch is handling the press and Rossi, Reid, and I are going to do some poking around."

"Okay." JJ let out a small sigh of relief. When she'd heard Morgan talking about heading out somewhere with Reid she'd been afraid that Hotch was going to call her into action as well.

"Okay," Morgan echoed. He smiled as he leaned in and dropped a quick kiss to JJ's forehead. "Take care of your girl, Jareau. We'll handle the rest. I'll call you later to check in, okay?"

JJ nodded and smiled. "Okay. Thanks, Morgan."

"My pleasure, beautiful," he replied softly.

Emily whimpered in her sleep, her legs thrashing beneath the sheets and JJ felt her heart break as she watched her suffer. "Shh, baby," she murmured, running a soft finger over Emily's lips, trying to soothe her with a familiar touch.

Morgan swallowed thickly as he watched JJ try and quiet Emily and he bit his lip as a flash of anger toward the man who had done this to her ripped through him. "Will you two be okay?"

"We'll be fine," JJ answered, though she wasn't at all sure if it was the truth or not. "Just go, Morgan. If you're needed up there, just go. We'll be fine," she repeated.

Though he wasn't sure if JJ was trying to convince herself or him, Morgan nodded. "Right. Call me later."

"I will," JJ promised as she tenderly pinned Emily's flailing arm to the mattress. She didn't doubt that Emily was trapped in a nightmare about what she'd been through and she sighed as she watched a lone tear roll down Emily's cheek.

Morgan saw the tear too and he shook his head as he backed away from the bed. He wanted to help, but he knew that there was nothing he could do so, though it pained him to walk away from Emily when she was obviously hurting, he mumbled a quick goodbye and slipped out of the room.

The door closed with a quiet click behind Morgan and a small sigh of relief escaped JJ as she set about waking Emily up. Not that she was necessarily relieved that Morgan was gone, she just knew that whatever ghosts were tormenting Emily would be better dealt with if she were alone with the brunette. "Wake up, sweetie," she murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her fiancée's lips. She hated to wake her after the night they'd had, but she knew that it would be better than letting her continue to suffer in her nightmare. "Wake up, Emily. Come on, baby – open those beautiful brown eyes of yours and look at me."

"NO! NOT JJ!" Emily yelled, thrashing harder against JJ's careful hold. "YOU WILL NOT FUCKING TOUCH HER!"

"Oh, Em," JJ murmured, her heart clenching as she understood what Emily was dreaming about. "I'm okay, Em," she said, more loudly. "I'm right here. Wake up, baby. Please, wake up."

"NO!"

Tears poured down JJ's cheeks as she sat up on the edge of the bed and fought to keep from being hit and kicked by Emily's flailing limbs even as she tried to gently ease her from her nightmare.

"JENNIFER!"

"I'm right here, Emily." JJ risked letting go of Emily's wrist so that she could smooth her hand through the brunette's hair. "I'm right here, baby," she said, kissing her softly. "Wake up, Emily. Wake up, baby. I'm right here." She groaned as Emily's wildly swinging fist connected with her cheek. "Fuck, Em," she grumbled, shaking her head. She was about to pin Emily's arm down again when she saw her eyes begin to flutter open. The punch must have woken her up. "Hey you."

"Jennifer?" Emily's expression relaxed as she saw JJ staring back at her and she realized that she wasn't in the barn anymore and that Wyatt wasn't going to torture JJ like he had her. She licked her lips as she took in their surroundings, finding a strange measure of comfort in the sterile white walls and the harsh glow of fluorescent lights seeping in through the window in the door. Her heartbeat slowed as she turned her attention back to her fiancée and her eyes widened as she noticed the tears and the pink mark on JJ's cheek. "What happened?"

"Nothing," JJ said. She gave Emily a soft smile. "You were having a nightmare."

Emily licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah. Did I do that?" She pointed at JJ's cheek.

"It's fine," JJ said, brushing Emily's concern aside. "I'm just glad you're awake now."

"Jennifer…"

JJ rolled her eyes. "Yes, you hit me when you were dreaming, Em, but it isn't a big deal."

"God, baby," Emily whispered, shaking her head as she lifted a hand to gently cradle JJ's face in her palm. She lightly smoothed her thumb over JJ's reddened cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Emily, it's fine," JJ murmured, one side of her mouth quirking up in a small smile as she leaned in and kissed her softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Emily muttered, her attention focused on the small mark on JJ's cheek.

The fact that Emily had become entirely focused on her injury didn't surprise JJ at all and she sighed as she hooked a finger under her chin and lifted Emily's eyes up to her own. "I promise you I'm fine," JJ assured her. "I've had worse sparring with Morgan in the gym."

"Jen…" Emily began to apologize again but, before she could really begin, there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Good morning," the doctor said as he strode briskly into the room. "Hello again, Agent Jareau."

"Good morning," JJ greeted him. He'd been the doctor who had taken care of Emily the day before.

Joshua Sachs smiled and turned his attention to his patient. "Agent Prentiss, I'm not sure if you remember me or not, but my name is Doctor Sachs – I was the attending on call yesterday when you came in."

Emily nodded. She didn't exactly remember him because everything after she got on the Helivac with JJ was a little blurry, but he looked vaguely familiar. "Doctor."

He reached for her chart and flipped it open. "I see you had your last round of pain medication at a little after 3:15 this morning, how are you feeling now?"

"Fine," Emily answered.

"Pain level – on a scale from one to ten?"

"Two," Emily lied.

"Emily…" JJ warned.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Fine. It's like a six. But I'm good."

Doctor Sachs chuckled. "I'll make a note of that. How did you sleep?"

"Well enough, considering," Emily answered honestly. "When can I go home?"

"You weren't kidding when you told me she hates hospitals," Sachs said, smirking at JJ as he flipped Emily's chart closed.

"You have no idea," JJ muttered.

Emily just rolled her eyes again and remained silent. Getting pissy with the doctor wasn't a good way to get released and she knew it. "So…"

"Let me have a look at you and I'll let you know," Doctor Sachs said.

JJ nodded her understanding and slipped off the bed to give him room to properly examine Emily. "I'm just getting out of the way," she assured her as she caught the almost panicked look the brunette gave her. "I'm right here," she whispered.

"You can hold her hand, if you'd like," Doctor Sachs told Emily as he inspected the stitches on her throat. "I can see what I need from this side."

Needing no further encouragement, and feeling only the tiniest sense of embarrassment that her need for JJ was so obvious, Emily immediately reached for her, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her as the blonde's fingers closed around her own.

JJ bit her lip and schooled her expression as she watched Doctor Sachs carefully work Emily's right arm out of the gown so he could examine her torso. It seemed like every inch of Emily's beautiful body was covered in bruises and even though she'd seen all the damage the day before, the hours that had passed from then until now had caused the marks to grow darker and angrier and she felt her stomach twist with nausea as she was, once again, reminded of exactly how lucky they were that Emily was still with them.

"I'm okay," Emily whispered, turning her head to look at JJ as she squeezed her hand gently. She knew JJ well enough to know that while she looked calm, that she was anything but.

"Mmm," JJ hummed, nodding, not trusting herself to speak as she watched Emily flinch as the doctor pressed gently on her broken ribs.

"How's that?" Doctor Sachs asked.

"Just great," Emily snapped.

"I'll bet," Sachs replied as he slipped the eartips of his stethoscope in and placed the diaphragm just under Emily's breast so he could listen to her lung. "Any trouble breathing?"

Emily shook her head. "No."

"Good. As deep of a breath as you could, please."

Emily gritted her teeth and did as requested.

"Again, please," Doctor Sachs instructed as he moved the diaphragm to a different location. They repeated the process another four times, and he smiled as he looped the stethoscope back around his neck. "Your lungs sound good. You're moving air well and there's no fluid in the lungs."

"'Kay," Emily muttered as she squeezed JJ's hand to try and help her control the fiery pain that was licking its way up and down her injured ribs.

Doctor Sachs nodded and moved on to check the sutures on Emily's legs. They all looked to be holding well, and he nodded again as he inspected the plastic surgeon's handiwork. The stitches were tight and small, and he doubted there would be much of a scar if any when they were healed. He nodded again to himself as he helped Emily back into her gown, and once she was appropriately covered, he picked up her chart again to make a note about everything he'd observed.

"So… can I go home?" Emily pressed.

"I want to get one last set of films to make sure that everything still looks good – which I fully expect they will – and once I see those, I could release you as early as this afternoon."

"Excellent," Emily sighed.

"You will need to stay out of the field for at least six weeks until those ribs are healed; rushing back any sooner than that and you'll risk reinjuring yourself."

"Desk duty?" Emily asked.

Doctor Sachs sighed and tilted his head from side to side. "Your stitches will need to be removed in 5-7 days, so you'll be good there pretty quick. I'd probably clear you for desk duty after a couple weeks, provided you're continuing to show improvement. You really will need to take it easy for the next couple weeks to give everything time to heal. But, you'll need to check with your physician at home to get cleared for anything. At this point, the most I'm comfortable doing is releasing you to the care of your personal physician."

"I'll take it," Emily said.

JJ laughed and shook her head. "I'll make sure she gets seen by her physician as soon as we get back to D.C.," she assured him.

"Good. Well, then, I will go put in the order those X-Rays and we'll see if we can't get you ladies out of here."

"Thank you, doctor," JJ said sincerely.

"Yes. Thank you," Emily echoed.

"My pleasure," he assured them. "Just sit tight, I'll send the nurse in with your next round of pain meds. You'll need to remain on top of the pain for the next few days and not skip a dose just because you're feeling okay. I want you to take the meds until they're gone, got it?"

"I got it," JJ answered for Emily, which earned her a mock glare and a smile.

"I got it," Emily said.

"Good. Then I'll see you two again after I have a look at your films," Doctor Sachs said, giving them one last smile before he turned and walked out of the room.

"Damn," Emily muttered as the door closed after him. "I meant to ask when I can take a shower."

"We'll ask the nurse when she comes in," JJ said. She licked her lips as she squeezed Emily's hand gently. "How are you doing?"

"You're here with me, Jennifer," Emily murmured, turning her head to look JJ in the eye. "So I'm perfect."

"Your dream?"

"Just a nightmare," Emily deflected, not ready to discuss what had happened in the barn just yet. She knew that she would eventually be forced to debrief and then it would all come out; but, for now, she wanted to try and spare JJ some of the horror she had suffered. "I'll be fine."

Not at all surprised that Emily was blowing it off, JJ sighed. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Emily said. She took as deep of a breath as she dared and looked around the room, just now realizing that she and JJ were alone. "So… where's Morgan?"

JJ licked her lips and replied, "He's up at the scene with the rest of the team."

"Why?"

"The LEOs…" Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat. "They found Wyatt's trophy room. The guys are going through it to try and get a better understanding of him so that we can use the information in the future."

Emily's heart sped and she squeezed JJ's hand as she understood what it was that the communications liaison hadn't said. "The heads?"

"Yeah."

Tears sprung to Emily's eyes as she was once again reminded of how close she'd been to being one of those 'trophies'. "Okay…"

JJ saw the shift in Emily's expression and she sighed as she reached out to run a gentle hand through Emily's hair. "Talk to me, Em."

Talking was the last thing Emily wanted to do and she shook her head as she tried to force her memories of what she'd lived through into one of her famous 'compartments'. Problem was, they were so fresh from her nightmare that when she met JJ's concerned gaze she found herself unable to hide from them. "I'm just feeling very, very lucky that I'm not one of his mementos."

"Me too, sweetie," JJ murmured. She took a deep breath and leaned in to press a soft kiss to Emily's lips. "Me too."


	40. Part 2: Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"You look like hell, peaches," Garcia greeted JJ as the blonde stumbled into her office.

"Thanks, Pen," JJ muttered as she flopped heavily into the empty chair beside the technical analyst's desk. Four weeks had passed since the team had rescued Emily from the unsub's barn. Four long, sleepless weeks as Emily continued to refuse to talk about what happened, demanding that she was "fine" whenever anyone dared ask her about it.

The giddiness that JJ had felt over their engagement faded with each and every dismissive shake of Emily's head and with every strangled scream that woke her up in the middle of the night, multiple times each night, as the demons that haunted the profiler's memory flexed their muscles. She had tried to get Emily to open up to her, but the brunette wouldn't. And, once the profiler had faked her way through her psychological evaluation and the counseling sessions that were required for her to return to work, any argument she tried to make was shut down with a quick, "I was cleared, Jennifer. I'm fine."

"Nightmares again last night?" Penelope asked knowingly.

JJ nodded. "Yeah. Four. She only woke up for the last one though. I really just need to sleep, Pen," she whimpered, rubbing her hands over her face. "Just one night."

Garcia sighed and nodded understandingly. "Do you want to come over to my place tonight? I can fake an emotional emergency that requires your undivided attention."

JJ smiled and shook her head. "As much as I appreciate the gesture, I can't leave her alone like that. Not when she wakes up screaming, her eyes wild as she searches for me in the darkness. If I wasn't there…" Her voice trailed off and she shuddered. "It would be bad. Really bad."

A soft, empathetic smile lifted Garcia's lips and she nodded slowly. "I get it, Jayje." She glanced at her monitors that showed the bullpen and saw that Emily was in the kitchen making herself yet another cup of coffee – her fifth for the morning, so far. "Look, why don't you go lie down on the couch in Rossi's office for a bit? He's at that conference in Boca this week and his door's always closed so nobody will think anything of it, and you can at least catch a few winks."

It was a wholly unprofessional suggestion, but JJ was too exhausted to look at it like that and she smiled thankfully at Garcia as she nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She placed a hand on the quirky hacker's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I think I will. Thanks, Pen."

Garcia smiled and patted JJ's hand with her own. "No problem. I'll keep my eyes and ears open and if anything comes up that desperately needs your attention, I'll come and get you. Otherwise, just turn off your phone and rest for a few."

JJ yawned and nodded. "Thanks," she said, giving Garcia's shoulder one last squeeze before she turned and made her out of the analyst's lair.

Garcia watched JJ's progress on the monitors and once she saw her go into Rossi's office and close the door, she reached for her phone and rang down to the bullpen floor. "Derek, come up here," she said without embellishment or preamble, hanging up the moment she was done speaking.

She rocked back in her chair as she watched Emily sit down at her desk and run a tired hand through her hair before picking up a pen and diving into yet another report, and she pursed her lips thoughtfully as she stared at her. "What are we going to do with you, princess?"

"Pen?" Morgan asked as he slipped into Garcia's office and closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Emily," Garcia replied succinctly.

Morgan nodded. "I know, Pen. I know. How's JJ?"

"Freaking exhausted. Scared." She looked up at him and shrugged. "She hasn't said that, exactly, but I can see it in her eyes. She is terrified for Emily and I think a part of her is wondering what's going to happen to them if Em doesn't work through this. She doesn't know how to help her and Emily isn't letting her in. It's eating her up, Derek."

"And what do you think I can do?" he asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. "She isn't talking to **_anybody_**."

"Yeah, well, it's high time somebody tried to make her," Penelope said, waving a hand at her monitors. "I had to send JJ down to Rossi's office to take a nap because the poor girl is dead on her feet. She can't keep doing this, Derek."

Morgan nodded thoughtfully, biting his lower lip as he stared at the monitor that showed JJ curled in a ball on Rossi's couch, fast asleep. The dark circles under JJ's eyes hadn't escaped his notice, nor had the absence of her usual smile. He knew that she was suffering just as much as Emily was, but he had hoped that his friend would see what she was doing to her fiancée and pull her head out of her ass.

But that obviously hadn't happened yet.

"Call Prentiss up here," he said finally. "And then… could you maybe make yourself scarce for a while?"

"Your wish, my command," Garcia murmured, smiling thankfully at him as she reached for her phone. "Prentiss. I need you in my office for a minute," she said. She shook her head at the tired, "I'll be right up," that Emily answered her with, and she smiled sadly at Morgan as she pushed herself away from her desk. "I'll wait until she's in here, and then I'll leave you guys alone," she said.

"Sounds good, baby girl," Morgan said softly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he leaned back against the edge of Garcia's desk.

The door to the technical analyst's office opened and Emily frowned when she saw Derek was in the room as well. "You called?"

"I had her call you," Morgan said, giving Garcia a small nod to tell her it was okay to go. He waited until she had left and closed the door behind herself before he said, "Talk to me, Prentiss."

Emily shook her head. "About what, Morgan?"

"You sleeping okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she deflected.

"You're positive about that?" he pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, what's this about, Derek?" Emily demanded. "I passed my psych eval, I'm fine."

"Bullshit," Morgan replied, shaking his head. "We all know how to lie our way through those. If we didn't, they'd never let us back on the floor to work. Now… since you're apparently not talking to JJ, talk to me. What's going on inside that brilliant mind of yours?"

"It's nothing," Emily murmured, looking down at her feet.

"Bullshit."

"You already said that," Emily retorted, setting her hands on her hips as she stared him down.

"Yeah, well, when you stop saying stuff that is complete and utter bullshit, I'll stop calling it as I see it," he replied. He had read the report of the incident even though Prentiss had requested that only Hotch be in the room when she was debriefed. He knew what Wyatt had done to Emily, and he knew that it wasn't something that she would be able to keep in her infamous compartments.

He also knew that it was time to play dirty, since Emily seemed so hell-bent on declaring that nothing was wrong. So he pushed himself off the desk and waved a hand at Garcia's monitors. If it were just about herself, he knew that Emily would go to her grave saying that she was fine and he would let her, chalking the whole thing up to the demons they all carried around because of the job; but it wasn't just about her anymore. He watched her eyes land on the monitor that showed JJ asleep in Rossi's office and he ran a hand over his head as he said, "She's not sleeping, you know."

Emily did know, and she sighed as she looked at the image of JJ fast asleep on the monitor. She hated herself for keeping JJ at a distance, but she had honestly thought that she would have gotten over everything by now.

"Pen says she's completely exhausted, which we both know is true, and that she's scared about what this will do to you and your relationship," he said softly.

That got Emily's attention and she tore her attention away from the monitor to look him in the eye. Her stomach twisted painfully at the very idea of JJ second-guessing their relationship and she swallowed thickly as she tried to find her voice. "She said that?" she asked in a rough whisper.

The utter devastation in her voice was enough to break his heart, and Morgan shook his head. "Not in so many words, I guess, but it's there. Hell, even I've seen the way she looks at you when you're not paying attention. It's not very hard to see, Prentiss. What in the world is keeping you from talking to her about it?"

"She doesn't need to know…"

"She's already suffering, Em – there's nothing you're going to tell her that will make it worse. Hate to break it to you, but we have **_all _**seen the report. We know what happened and we understand that it will take you time to really work through it. And we've been trying to give you that time. But I can't stand by and watch any longer when JJ comes into work every day looking like a goddamn zombie."

Emily's gaze grew hard and defiant. "You do not know everything that happened in that barn."

"Really?" He taunted, knowing that he had her close to snapping. Exhaustion and anger always combined to be a most effective fuse when it came to Emily's temper. "Enlighten me then."

"Fuck you," Emily muttered, shaking her head. "Fuck you all."

"Yeah, because that attitude is working so well for you and JJ now, isn't it?"

And that was the comment that lit the fuse on her temper and sent everything she'd been holding in flying. "FUCK YOU MORGAN! You! Don't! Know! You read the report. Good for you. But I didn't tell Hotch how every time he cut me he would whisper in my ear that he was going to do even worse to that 'pretty blonde from the press conference'. I didn't tell Hotch that he would punctuate every kick and every punch with a comment about how he was going to beat JJ until every bone in her body was broken. I didn't tell Hotch how he would caress my cheek and tell me that he was going to keep me alive long enough to watch him do it all to her before he killed me. So don't you fucking **_dare_** tell me that you know what happened in that goddamn hellhole! You don't have a fucking clue what I went through in there."

Morgan nodded. He hadn't known any of that and just hearing it made him want to go back there an pump a couple clips into the unsub's body. But the fact remained that both she and JJ were hurting because of her refusal to tell JJ any of this. "Tell her…"

"I can't," Emily said, rolling her eyes as she looked back at JJ's sleeping form on the monitor. "She doesn't need to know any of that."

"She does."

Emily threw her hands in the air. "And why the fuck does she need to know? Huh? Why? She doesn't need to have the same nightmares I do, Morgan."

He licked his lips and took a careful step forward. "Do you really think that she isn't trying to imagine what it is that makes you wake up screaming every night? Do you think that what sleep she does manage to get is restful? She's living a goddamn nightmare every fucking day because you won't let her in and tell her what you're thinking. How much longer do you honestly expect her to be able to continue like this? Knowing that you don't trust her enough to tell her everything? Getting next to no sleep? Walking on eggshells around you so that she doesn't set you off? Never knowing if it is ever going to get better? She's a good girl, Em. We all know it. But even she can't do this forever."

"I'll get over it," Emily said. "I just need a little more time," she murmured.

Morgan nodded because, though Emily's words were resolute, the look on her face as she stared at JJ on the monitor was broken and hurting and he had a feeling that he had said just enough to make her really think about how her actions were hurting JJ. JJ was her weak spot. He knew it and everybody else knew it, and if there was anything that would make Emily pull her head out of her ass, it was the idea that she was hurting JJ. Because he knew that Emily would rather die than do anything to hurt her.

But that didn't mean he couldn't give her one last shove in the right direction. "If you say so, Prentiss. Just don't come crying to me when she leaves you and your stubborn ass because she can't take it anymore."

Emily's heart dropped heavily at the suggestion that JJ would ever leave her, and she only distantly noticed that Morgan had walked out of the room without another word. She bit her lip as she walked over to Garcia's desk, her right hand lifting to trace the line of JJ's body on the monitor as she watched her sleep. Tears stung at the backs of her eyes as she dropped heavily into the technical analyst's chair and she buried her face in her hands as she finally let herself cry for what had happened to her in Wyatt's barn and what her suffering in silence was doing to JJ.

It was nearly an hour later that she emerged from Garcia's office, shoulders slumped, her posture defeated, and made her way down the hall to Rossi's office where JJ was still sleeping. Morgan, Reid, and Garcia watched her go from the bullpen floor, and they shared a worried, hopeful look as Emily disappeared inside.

"You think it'll work?" Reid asked.

Morgan shrugged. "I dunno, buddy." He looked at his watch and sighed. It was barely noon and the day was already shit. "You guys wanna go get some lunch?"

"Do you think we should leave them alone?" Garcia asked worriedly. "What if they need us?"

"They need each other," Morgan said knowingly. He smiled and held his arm out to her. "Come on, beautiful. Let me buy you some lunch."

As they made their way out of the BAU, Emily stood warily beside the sofa in Rossi's office, her heart breaking as she watched JJ thrash in her sleep. The small whimpers that fell from JJ's lips made her stomach twist painfully, and she sighed as she sat down on the edge of the sofa beside JJ's hips. She bit her lip as she smoothed her hand over the younger woman's brow and she swallowed thickly as she leaned in to press a tender kiss to her temple.

From the moment Morgan had left her alone in Garcia's office she'd been thinking about everything he'd said and how he was right, and she knew that she needed to really talk to JJ about what had happened to her. She didn't know if it would make her nightmares go away, but she needed to do whatever she could to try and make JJ's disappear.

"Wake up, sweetie," she murmured softly against JJ's ear, hating that she was once again disturbing her sleep but unable to sit and watch her suffer for a moment longer.

JJ came awake slowly, blinking as she tried to brush the images of her dream from her eyes as she stared up into Emily's beautiful face. "Are you okay?"

"No," Emily whispered, shaking her head. She swallowed thickly as she reached out to gently cradle JJ's jaw in her palm. "I… need to talk to you."

Those six words made JJ's heart stop beating and she felt like she might be sick as she forced herself into a sitting position so that she was eye-to-eye with Emily. Though her head was spinning with the possible implications of what Emily had said – was this it? Was Emily leaving her? – she forced herself to swallow those questions and simply nod as she awaited whatever it was that Emily wanted to say. "Okay."

"I…" Emily's voice trailed off as she looked out of Rossi's window that overlooked the bullpen. She didn't want to have this conversation at the office. "Can we go home? Please? I… I don't want to do this here, Jennifer."

While the fact that Emily asked to 'go home' somewhat calmed JJ's nerves – the phrasing told her that Emily still thought of the condo as both of their homes so the gut-twisting fear that she was going to leave her lessened – she was still concerned and she licked her lips as she nodded slowly. "Whatever you want, Emily. Just let me tell Hotch that we're leaving, okay?" she added, trying and failing to keep a faint tremor of fear from her voice.

Emily heard the waver in JJ's voice and she closed her eyes as it smacked her in the face, telling her that she was still hurting the one person who meant more to her than anyone else in the world. "I want you, Jennifer," she whispered, leaning in to rest her forehead against JJ's. "Please know that I want you. I need you," she added. "I just…"

Relief and understanding flashed across JJ's face and she smiled softly at Emily as she lifted her chin to press a quick kiss to the brunette's lips. "I'll go tell Hotch that we're going home early. Meet you by your desk?"

Emily nodded. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," JJ murmured.

"I do," Emily said, sitting up straighter and staring resolutely into the baby blue eyes she loved so dearly. Thanking JJ for being there for her was the least of the things she needed to do. "I do."

Hotch gave JJ permission for them to leave for the day with a tight nod and a concerned look, and the drive from Quantico to D.C. was made in silence – neither of them daring to speak and risk shattering the fragile bubble of comfort that had surrounded them the moment Emily whispered in JJ's ear that she needed her.

Once they were home, keys deposited in the glass bowl on the island and their guns un-holstered and set beside their keys, Emily took JJ by the hand and led her over to the sofa in the living room. Though they were both mentally and physically exhausted, this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have in bed, and she sighed softly as she watched JJ sit down on the couch and look almost warily up at her.

This was it.

She swallowed thickly as she sat down beside JJ, turning to face the blonde so that the younger woman could see in her eyes that she wasn't hiding from her. If nothing else, she needed JJ to know that she was no longer hiding from her.

But where to start?

That was the single question that played on an infinite loop inside her mind on the drive home and she still didn't know the answer to it. But she needed to say something, so she licked her lips and whispered, "I'm so sorry I've shut you out." The flash of recognition and pain in JJ's eyes was enough to spur her onward and she shifted in her seat. "I just… I thought I could get through this on my own. I always have before, and I really didn't think this would be any different. But…"

Emily's silence stretched for a few moments as she tried to find the right words to explain what she was thinking, and JJ smiled reassuringly at her as she scooted closer to her on the couch and took both of the brunette's hands into her own.

"It's different," Emily finally whispered, looking down at her hands that were cradled in JJ's. The warmth from the touch spread through her entire body, soothing her soul. She bit her lip as she looked back up into JJ's caring gaze and she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. For once, she didn't fight the sensation. She knew there was no way she was going to get through this without crying. Not with JJ looking at her like _that_. "It's different because it wasn't just me that Wyatt was threatening when I was in his barn. It was you."

She then told JJ everything that had happened to her when she'd been held captive. How Wyatt had mentioned that he saw them hugging outside the precinct. How he would share his twisted fantasies of what he wanted to do to JJ as he beat her. Cut her. How he had cooed in her ear that he would keep her alive long enough to watch JJ's complete and utter destruction. She re-lived every tortuous, painful moment, and by the time she was finished they were both crying.

There was no way either of them could do anything else.

Somewhere along the line, JJ had pulled Emily into her, holding the brunette close as she shared the nightmare she had miraculously survived, and JJ swallowed thickly as she finally understood exactly what it was Emily had been dealing with.

"Oh, Emily," JJ murmured, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips to Emily's forehead. It broke her heart that Emily had tried to work past all of that on her own. And, while it killed her to know in excruciating detail what Emily had suffered through, she wouldn't have preferred it any other way. She needed to know so that she could better help Emily past it. She needed to know so that they could finally begin to reclaim their lives and their love. "Sweetie…"

More tears coursed down Emily's cheeks, hot and full of stinging regret, and she selfishly burrowed closer to JJ, needing the younger woman's strength and support even though she didn't feel like her behavior deserved it. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

"Shh," JJ breathes, shaking her head as she once again pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Emily's brow. "No apologies, baby."

"But…"

"No," JJ said, pulling Emily even closer. "Just, no."

Emily nodded obediently and remained silent as she sank into JJ's embrace, feeling surprisingly better after having shared everything she'd been hiding from JJ. "I love you."

A soft smile lifted JJ's lips as she whispered, "I love you too, Em. So very, very much."

"Even though I'm a stubborn bastard?" Emily murmured.

"Especially because of that," JJ replied with a quiet laugh. She took a deep breath and added, "I think you should really sit down and talk to somebody about all of this, Em."

Emily nodded. Though she didn't particularly like the idea of therapy, she wanted to get better so that she would be a better partner for JJ. "Will you go with me?"

"Of course," JJ whispered, her heart swelling with love for the woman in her arms. "I will always do whatever you need me to do, sweetheart."

"Thank you," Emily breathed. A long, jaw-popping yawn escaped her and she smiled sheepishly up at JJ as the blonde did the same. Weeks of sleeping poorly combined with the emotional toll of reliving what had happened in Oregon had caught up to them both. "Can we go cuddle in bed?"

JJ smiled and nodded. "I think that sounds like an absolutely heavenly idea."

They made their way hand-in-hand up the stairs and stripped quickly down to their panties before climbing beneath the sheets, each of them craving the soft comfort that came from feeling the other's skin against their own. Silence descended upon them like a warm, comforting blanket and it wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep. And, for the first time in four weeks, they were both able to get more than a few hours rest without Emily's nightmares waking either of them up.


	41. Part 2: Chapter 13

**Author's note:** Yes, I totally suck for the long gap since I last updated this story. But, to be fair, I have written pretty much zero fic this year with the exception of a Warehouse 13 one-shot fix-it fic that _had_ to be written. Anyways, though I have not been writing fic, I have been writing. Quite a lot, actually. For those of you who don't follow me on twitter and/or tumblr, I have been working on my first novel. It's called **_Second Chances_**, and it's a lesbian romance (big surprise, right?). And, I am proud to say, it is now available in the Kindle store on Amazon (Link is on my profile page here).

**Here's the summary for it: **

Charlie Bennett is a rising star in the world of sports journalism, but her personal life is a mess. Still hung up on her college sweetheart, a one-night-stand gone wrong convinces her that she needs to make a change. An offer for a one-year guest lecturer position from a small private university provides her the opportunity she needs to escape, and she jumps at it. All Charlie expected to find when she left Manhattan for rural New Hampshire was a little peace. Instead, she finds Mackayla Thomas. Eight years have passed since Charlie foolishly walked away from Mackayla, and Mackayla is determined to never let anyone hurt her that way again. For Charlie, their serendipitous meeting is a sign that happily ever after might finally be within her reach. First, however, she needs to find a way to convince Mackayla to let the past go, and to give her a second chance.

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><p><strong>Cliff Notes recap for this story: <strong>Emily had been abducted and tortured by an unsub (Wyatt) on a case in Portland, Oregon, and was having a hard time dealing with what had happened to her. Morgan played (a little) dirty to get her to finally open up to JJ about it all, and we left off with Emily and JJ in bed taking a nap after Emily finally told JJ everything that had happened to her in Wyatt's barn.

* * *

><p><strong>13<strong>

When Emily awoke, it was just before eight o'clock. The Mall outside her bedroom windows was swaddled in the warm shades of charcoal and gray, the Washington Monument a tall black stripe against the sky as twilight fell over the capitol. The familiar weight of JJ's head against her shoulder and the feeling of the blonde's breath tickling her collarbone drew her back to the present, and she sighed as she combed her fingers through JJ's hair. For the first time in what felt like forever, she actually felt rested. There had been no nightmares to spoil her slumber. No haunting voices. No flashes of memories of things that were truly best forgotten.

For the first time since she had left Wyatt's barn, she felt like she was finally beginning to heal. Physical wounds were easy to recover from. Her body showed nary a mark from her ordeal – the plastic surgeon had not been boasting when he told JJ that her wounds would not scar – and her ribs had knitted themselves back together. Flesh and bone were resilient. It was the mind that required a more delicate approach. A more complete course of treatment.

JJ's arm around her waist tightened, and Emily smiled as she turned her head to press a lingering kiss to JJ's forehead. It would be easy for her to wallow in the fact that she had unintentionally caused the blonde so much pain, so easy to continue and kick her own ass for being so stubborn and keeping JJ at a distance, but she knew that it wouldn't help. It would not help either of them for her to do that.

A childhood spent bouncing from one fully-staffed manor to another with little-to-no attention from either of her parents had taught her to be self-reliant. There had never been anyone to hold her close after a nightmare, or patch up a skinned knee, or simply be there with a warm smile and a kind word when she returned home from a long day of school in a new country where she knew exactly nobody. She had always just done it herself. And that had worked fine for her.

And then she walked into the BAU and met the most perfect creature she had ever been blessed to lay eyes on. At the time, she had been most concerned with the fact that Hotch clearly did not want her in his unit and that she would be shuffled to another department, but even with that threat hovering menacingly over her head, she was enamored by JJ. Her sharp wit. Her smile. The way her hair would swing around her when she spun around quickly. The way her eyes would change color depending on her mood, from soft and warm when she was joking around to cool and dark when she was angry. Falling in love with her had been inevitable. And, in a way, it had seemed fitting that she should long so desperately for someone she would never have because she was used to being alone. Being alone, after all, was what she knew best.

And then, one day, she wasn't alone any more. It was still strange, even after being with JJ for six months, to not be alone. She still had to remind herself every now and again to let her walls down and truly let JJ in. It was habit to retreat into herself and to try and handle everything on her own. That was, after all, how she was raised. Letting JJ in was something she consciously worked on every day, and she hated that she had failed so miserably at it over the last few weeks. Though her intentions had been pure, she could now see exactly how much her solitary ways hurt JJ and she made a promise to herself to try and never do it again. She had no doubt that she would once again fail at it, but she was filled with a renewed desire to try.

The soft press of lips to her throat pulled her from her thoughts, and she sighed as she looked down into JJ's eyes. They were a warm blue, the color of the Caribbean Sea on a cloudless summer day, and she made a mental note to take JJ there someday. Maybe for their honeymoon. Just rent a catamaran with a small two-man crew and disappear for a while, or perhaps rent a house on a secluded stretch of beach where it would be just the two of them and nobody else around for miles. Either scenario sounded heavenly to her, and she idly wondered which JJ would prefer.

"How'd you sleep?" JJ whispered, reaching up to run a gentle hand down Emily's jaw. Her arm felt heavy, her body unwilling to let go of the respite a restful sleep provided, and it took much more effort than it should have to deliver such a simple touch.

The feeling of JJ's fingers gliding over her jaw lit a flickering ember of desire inside Emily, the gentle touch a reminder that it had been well over a month since they had made love. Her injuries, of course, prevented it, but the doctor had told her the day before that her ribs were healed. He was still keeping her from the field for another two weeks, just to be safe, but she was physically healed.

And now that she was done holding JJ at a distance, she wanted her as close as she could possibly get her.

Emily smiled, silently reassuring JJ that everything was fine, and murmured, "Great."

"No nightmares?"

"No nightmares," Emily whispered, turning her head to press a lingering kiss to the middle of JJ's palm. The sound of the blonde's breath catching ever so slightly spurred her onward, and she hummed softly as she twisted her hips and rolled them over so that she was now staring adoringly down into JJ's eyes. "I love you."

The feeling of Emily atop her and the smoldering warmth in the profiler's eyes made JJ's heart skip a beat. For the first time since they'd returned to D.C., she felt like she had her lover back. "I love you." The words were quiet, and were met almost immediately by the press of Emily's lips against her own. JJ moaned softly, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of Emily sucking lightly on her lower lip. They had kissed in the time since they had been home, of course, but never like this. Their kisses had been perfunctory. Chaste. Brief little moments that faked a normalcy each of them knew was lacking.

But this…this was so much more, and JJ whimpered as she felt Emily's hand begin to wander over her skin. She lifted her hips when she felt Emily tug on the waistband of her panties and hummed softly as they were tossed away. Their kisses never stopped as she quickly rid Emily of her underwear as well, and she sighed when they came together, skin to skin, for the first time in over a month. The feeling of soft fingers skating slowly around her right breast made her whimper, and JJ reflexively arched into Emily's hand when it covered her completely, squeezing with a gentle possessiveness that made her stomach clench in the most amazing way.

They had always been able to communicate better with looks and touches than words, and now was no different. There were so many things they could say: I love you, I've missed you, I'm sorry, I forgive you – but each thought was easily conveyed with a touch. A kiss. A sigh.

Emily hummed softly as she slid her hand higher, over the plane of JJ's chest and around the sculpted curve of her shoulder. Up, over the line of her bicep, along the curve of her elbow, tap-dancing ever so lightly over the sensitive skin of her inner forearm, until she was able to twine their fingers together. She moved their joined hands higher to rest on the pillow beside JJ's head, and she smiled as she felt the blonde relax beneath her. She hadn't a clue what she'd done to deserve the love of this amazing woman, but by god she would do everything in her power to keep it.

Their kisses grew deeper, mouths opening and tongues sliding slowly together, and Emily gave JJ's hand a gentle squeeze when the blonde's hips rolled up into her. The meaning behind the touch was clear: I know. And the promise was equally plain: soon.

Tears stung at the backs of JJ's eyes as Emily's mouth dropped to her neck, soft lips brushing with a gentle tenderness against the spot beneath her jaw that never failed to make chills run down her spine. She had never said it aloud, but she had been afraid that they might never find this level of intimacy again. She had been terrified that even though they had saved Emily in Oregon, that she wouldn't be able to _really_ save her. That, no matter how deeply she loved her, that she might not be enough to bring Emily back from the darkness that had all but consumed her.

She swallowed thickly at the feeling of Emily's tongue flicking lightly over her skin. Every touch was soft. Reverent. Silently shouting promises of love and adoration. She knew from the way Emily was slowly making her way down her neck that the profiler wanted nothing more than to worship her, but that wasn't what she wanted. She didn't need to be worshipped right now. She needed to feel that connection to her lover that she had been missing. She needed them to be there in the moment together.

"Come here," JJ husked, her voice soft and needy, and she smiled at the way she could feel Emily's breath hitch against her throat. "Kiss me."

"Oh Jennifer," Emily whimpered, her heart fluttering into her throat as she instantly abided the blonde's request and moved higher to claim her lips in a deep, searing kiss. Understanding exactly what it was JJ needed, she took JJ's free hand in her own and twined their fingers together, sliding their hands up beside the blonde's head so that they were stretched out against each other from tip to toe, breasts pressing softly together as they kissed, hips beginning to cant slowly forward as passion overwhelmed them.

She had intended to make love to JJ slowly. Thoroughly. To bathe every inch of her beautiful body in kisses and whispered words of affection. But the unabashed simplicity of their coming together in that moment stole the breath from her lungs. It was basic. Primal. Hands grabbing, holding, hips rocking with a quiet desperation as they kissed. And yet, despite the growing need that burned between them, each needing the physical reminder that they were not alone, that the other was still there, that the future they dreamt of was still theirs for the taking, there was an unmistakable feeling of tenderness that filled the air around them.

The moment wasn't about the sex. Or even the release they would eventually find. It was about the way their breaths fell together in the space between their lips. The soft press of their foreheads resting together as they stared into each other's eyes. The quickening of breaths, and eyes growing dark, burning with emotions too powerful to put into words. It was about soft sighs, whispered words of affection, and quiet promises of forever. It was sex, but it wasn't physical. It was spiritual. The rejoining of hearts and souls after too long a time kept at a distance. They moved together as one, bodies rocking slowly to a rhythm that was uniquely theirs. By the time orgasm washed over them in warm, soothing waves, they were one. Their hearts beat in perfect synchronicity, their breaths equally matched. They tumbled over the edge together, eyes wide open, staring into the fathomless abyss of the other's soul, each knowing in her heart that they would be okay.

Emily smiled and dropped a slow, sweet kiss to JJ's lips. "Marry me?"

Mind still somewhat foggy from the emotional depth of their lovemaking, JJ let out a quiet laugh and arched a brow questioningly, curious as to what Emily was up to. "Of course."

"Good." Emily sighed and leaned over to open the top drawer of the nightstand on her side of the bed. Inside, nestled beside a well-worn paperback edition of _Breakfast of Champions_ and a couple editions of her favorite French magazines, she easily found the small velvet box she'd hidden there. She had picked the ring up from the jewelers the week before when JJ and the team had been in Delaware working a two-day case, and now seemed as good of a time as any to give it to her.

She smiled at the look of surprise that flashed across JJ's face as she pulled the box from its hiding place, and cleared her throat softly as she sat up and handed it to her. "I…had actually commissioned this ring before we left for Oregon," she explained, biting her lip nervously as she watched JJ scoot up so that she was leaning back against the headboard, the pad of the blonde's index finger tracing the crease where the box hinged.

Understanding dawned on JJ's face, her mouth forming a perfect O of surprise, and she rolled her eyes. "And I ruined it by impulsively proposing in the hospital."

"Hardly," Emily scoffed, shaking her head. "It was perfect. Nothing was ruined," she added, nodding for emphasis. She searched JJ's eyes, begging the blonde to believe her, and she sighed softly as she leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to JJ's lips. "I love you and I can't wait to marry you. How and where it happens doesn't matter – I just want to make you mine."

JJ smiled. "I already am."

"Open the box, Jennifer," Emily murmured, smiling as she sat back, completely nonplussed about the fact that she had not a stitch of clothing on.

Heart suddenly beating wildly in her chest, JJ licked her lips and nodded. She caught the lip of the lid with the pad of her thumb and pushed it open, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the ring that lay nestled inside. "Oh, Em…"

Emily bit her lip nervously as she watched JJ pull the ring from the box, the diamond managing to sparkle despite the lack of light in the room. The stone had the most fire she had ever seen in a diamond, and she had known the minute she'd seen the stone sitting in Emile's display case that it was the one that needed to anchor JJ's ring. It was big, but not gaudy, weighing in at just over a carat, but the cut was amazing. Set in platinum and surrounded by two smaller, half-carat blue sapphires, it wasn't a traditional engagement ring – but they weren't exactly a traditional couple. "Do you like it?"

"It's stunning," JJ murmured, her voice thick with emotion as she handed the ring to Emily. "Put it on me?"

"Of course," Emily whispered, taking the ring and sliding it onto the appropriate finger. Once it was in place, she pressed a lingering kiss to JJ's hand, and she sighed as pulled back to look at it. "Perfect."

JJ nodded her agreement and pushed herself up to claim Emily's lips in a slow, sweet kiss. She knew that they still had a ways to go until things truly were perfect and Emily had appropriately dealt with everything that had happened – but she also knew that this was a good first step in the right direction. That hope and love, and the commitment the ring on her finger symbolized would be enough to truly get them past it all. "I love you."

"I love you," Emily whispered, reaching up and gently cradling JJ's face in her hands. She smoothed her thumbs over the blonde's cheeks and smiled, awed as she always was that JJ really was hers. "Let me show you how much?"

"You mean more than the engagement ring I'm now wearing?" JJ teased.

Emily nodded, licking her lips and flashing the blonde a smile that could only be described as wolfish. "Yes."

JJ swallowed thickly, heat suffusing her body in an instant under Emily's lustful stare. "Okay." The low hum of approval that escaped Emily at her consent made her nipple grow instantly tight, and she giggled as Emily's hands dropped to her hips and tugged her down so that she was once again laying flat on the bed. A hungry mouth covered her own for only a moment before it moved onward, and JJ sighed contentedly as she turned her head to the side and gave herself over to Emily's touch.


	42. Part 2: Chapter 14

**14**

"Tell me about the case you were just out on," Dr. Vanessa Calder prompted. She was an older woman, in her early sixties, with shoulder-length sandy blonde hair and warm brown eyes. Her suit was tailored, expensive, a leftover from her days practicing in downtown Washington, counseling politicians and other high-profile individuals who could afford her astronomical hourly rates, and the degrees on her walls held the names of Georgetown, Harvard, and Yale. She was accomplished, yet surprisingly down to earth, much like Emily, and had recently settled into a life of semi-retirement in the suburbs.

Emily sighed. She had been seeing the psychiatrist for two months. Her first appointment had been the week after she had finally opened up to JJ about everything that had happened to her in Wyatt's barn. Dr. Calder had the security clearance to hear anything Emily wanted to tell her, which was part of the reason why she had been chosen in the first place. "We were in Georgia. It…it was the first case since I'd been released to join the team in the field where I matched the victim profile."

Dr. Calder nodded. "And…"

"It actually didn't bother me," Emily admitted. Her voice was soft, introspective, like she still couldn't understand why she _wasn't_ affected by it. "My nightmares didn't come back and I was able to work the case like I would any other. I was able to look at the pictures of those girls and not see myself in them. I mean, I'm sure it helped that he wasn't dismembering them, but I still didn't feel that weight on my chest like I was in his crosshairs or anything." And that, she knew, was progress, because she hadn't been able to do it on her first case back in the field, where the victims had been young boys who she bore no resemblance to in the slightest.

"And afterwards?"

"One nightmare, but it wasn't anything too bad. It was really no worse than any that I've had about the incident before, and I told JJ about it."

Dr. Calder smiled. "And now?"

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what to think."

"Do you want to know what I think?" Dr. Calder asked, steepling her fingers in front of her mouth as she openly appraised the Agent. She did not miss the way Emily swallowed thickly at her words or sat up straighter, and she smiled reassuringly at her.

"Okay."

"I think you don't need to come see me anymore," Dr. Calder said, nodding for emphasis.

Emily shot the doctor a look of surprise. "Really?"

Dr. Calder nodded and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. She normally conducted her sessions in the small sitting area that sat between her desk and the door because most patients were more receptive to the idea of talking about themselves if they were comfortable; but she had known from the minute Emily walked into her office that the brunette would never be comfortable in such an informal setting and had always conducted their sessions at her desk, where the delineation of power and position was clear. "Really. Your nightmares are under control, and when they do occur, you talk to your fiancée about them instead of pretending they didn't happen. You are more comfortable in the field. You say your relationship with JJ is back to how it was before the incident. So, I really don't see a reason for us to continue – unless you wanted to."

"No, that's…" Emily's voice trailed off and she smiled. "I mean, I just expected this to take longer."

"It could have," Dr. Calder said, nodding. "But, I think if you continue to keep the lines of communication with JJ open and talk to her when something bothers her, that you don't need me any longer. We've developed what I think are some really good strategies for you to use when you have a nightmare or when you're in the field and feeling anxious. And, let's face it – with the job you do, you will have nightmares, and you should be anxious when you're in the field. You and your team hunt down the absolute worst of humanity and if you didn't have nightmares or get anxious or need time to unwind after cases, I would think there was something terribly wrong with you."

While it was a relief to hear that the doctor thought she had appropriately moved past what had happened to her, Emily still felt the need to ask, "You're sure?"

"I am." Dr. Calder nodded. "But, if you feel yourself slipping back into your old ways – hiding in your compartments, as you call them – call me. We'll figure out what it is that's bothering you and we'll figure out a way to fix it. But, barring another horrific incident like what happened in Portland, I don't think you'll need to. From the couple sessions JJ joined us for, and the way you talk about her, I have a feeling you two will be just fine."

A light blush tinted Emily's cheeks and she bit her lip as she nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," Dr. Calder repeated. "So, it's already late on a Friday – why don't you go home and see JJ. Tell her the good news. Start planning your wedding. Just…" Her voice trailed off and she smiled. "Live. Live your life the way you want, Emily, and be happy. You are allowed to be happy," she added softly.

That had been one theme that had cropped up over and over again in their sessions. After having spent the majority of her life alone, content but not necessarily happy, a part Emily still felt that she didn't deserve happiness. That her role in the world was to contribute to society, her own happiness be damned. That she was destined to screw things up with JJ because she wasn't good with people. That maybe, just maybe, she was being selfish in wanting to blonde so badly because JJ deserved so much better than her. The first session JJ had joined-in on addressed a lot of those lingering insecurities, and the second had been especially emotionally draining, but, for now, at least, Emily seemed to accept the fact that she did deserve JJ and the happiness the blonde wrought. She did not doubt that Emily would again begin to question herself, it was to be expected, considering her childhood and adolescence, but so long as the brunette remained committed to talking things out with JJ whenever the need arose, she knew that they would be fine.

Emily licked her lips and nodded as she pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes scanned the now familiar room one last time as she held her hand out to Dr. Calder, and she smiled. "Thank you for your help, Dr. Calder."

"The pleasure was mine," Dr. Calder assured her, shaking her hand firmly. She tipped her head at the door and added, "Best of luck, Emily."

"Thanks," Emily murmured.

The walk from Dr. Calder's office to her car seemed to take no time at all. Her footsteps, for the first time since she had first set foot inside the psychiatrist's office, were not weighed down with worry that she might never bounce back from what had happened in Wyatt's barn. She had recovered. By the grace of God, and the sheer undeniable force of Jennifer Jareau, she was healed.


	43. Part 2: Chapter 15

**15**

Classical music with a decidedly modern edge greeted Emily as she stepped through her front door. She smiled at the sight of JJ standing at the stove in a pair of jeans and her favorite Yale hoodie that the blonde had commandeered not long after she had moved in. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, there was a glass of wine sitting on the counter beside her, and she was waving a hand in the air as if she were conducting the orchestra. Garcia had introduced JJ to Bear McCreary's music a few weeks prior, and Emily found it utterly adorable that JJ was so obsessed with his music. The pounding of timpani drums covered Emily's footsteps as she slunk quietly into the kitchen, and a devilish smile lifted her lips as she leaned into drop a soft kiss to the side of JJ's neck.

JJ jumped at the soft press of lips against her skin, her heart leaping into her throat as her right hand automatically dropped to her hip for the weapon that was tucked safely away in the gun safe upstairs.

"It's just me, sweetie," Emily murmured, wrapping her arms around JJ's waist and pulling her in close. She closed her eyes and smiled, breathing in the familiar scent of JJ's shampoo and conditioner as she pressed another lingering kiss to the sensitive hollow beneath the blonde's ear. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"No you're not," JJ muttered, rolling her eyes at herself because, really, she should have known it was Emily. She always made sure to leave the office early on the days the brunette had therapy so that she would be waiting when Emily got home in case she needed to talk about what had been covered in the session. But, she had been so wrapped up in the music, her thoughts bouncing from one case she was monitoring to the next in time with the shifting elements of the arrangement, that her first reaction to Emily's surprising touch had been instinctual, rather than rational. She sighed as she relaxed back into Emily, enjoying the feeling of being held. "I take it your session went well?"

Emily bit her lip and nodded, her arms tightening around JJ's waist. "Dr. Calder said she thinks I don't need to see her anymore."

"Really?" JJ turned in Emily's arms so she could look her in the eye. "She said that?"

"She did," Emily said, smiling as she leaned forward to claim JJ's lips in a slow, sweet kiss. The echo of Dr. Calder's parting statement echoed quietly inside her mind as JJ's arms slipped around her neck, lips parting beneath her own as the kiss deepened.

Live. Be happy.

Emily hummed softly and dropped her hands to JJ's ass, palming the firm globes and giving them a light squeeze. She smiled at the low moan the touch elicited, and did it again, squeezing harder this time and pulling JJ's hips firmly against her own. "I love you."

Live. Be happy.

"I love you," JJ breathed, smiling as she trailed a gentle hand over Emily's jaw. For so long after the kidnapping, Emily's eyes had been dull and flat, even when the brunette insisted that everything was fine. Now, however, they sparkled with warmth, love, and affection, and JJ knew that she really did have her Emily back. The ghosts of what had happened to her in Oregon would always haunt her, and the scars–while not visible–would always remain, but Emily really was healed.

Live. Be happy.

"I love you," Emily swore, her voice soft and strong and saturated with emotion. Her hands drifted back up to the small of JJ's back and she sighed. "I love you so very, very much Jennifer, and I can't thank you enough for being so patient with me. For staying with me through all of this."

Live. Be happy.

Emily cleared her throat softly, the left side of her mouth quirking up into a small, shy smile, and added, "I can't wait to marry you."

"Oh, Em," JJ sighed, her stomach fluttering pleasantly. "I can't wait either."

"Do you think our mothers would be okay with us just eloping?" Emily asked, only half-jokingly. She was ready to live her life the way she wanted. She was ready to be happy. And all she needed and wanted to make both those things happen was to make JJ her wife. Nothing else mattered.

"I wish," JJ hummed, shaking her head and smiling as she pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's lips. "They would probably kill us if we tried, though."

Emily nodded and rolled her eyes. The Ambassador had been surprisingly excited about the news of their engagement and had immediately offered to finance the entire event, and not once was anything said about making it some kind of political party. She seemed perfectly amenable to Emily and JJ's wish to keep the wedding and receptions small, simple, and intimate, and though there would undoubtedly be a handful of political figureheads at the event, Elizabeth Prentiss seemed genuinely willing to not use the wedding as political currency. JJ's parents had been equally thrilled at the news, and Emily knew that JJ's mother sent the blonde weekly emails asking about the planning that had yet to take place because they had been too focused on her recovery.

"It was worth a shot," Emily murmured, grinning.

Live. Be happy.

JJ laughed and nodded, her eyes cutting to the dining room table that she'd set for the evening. Though she had been wearing Emily's ring for the last eight weeks, she had only picked up the brunette's engagement ring earlier that evening. She knew that it was bad of her to have waited three months to "put a ring on it" as Morgan said, wiggling his hand in front of his face in his best Beyoncé impersonation, especially considering the fact that Emily had given her a ring two months ago. But she had been too focused on trying to help Emily in the beginning to worry about getting her a ring, and then it had taken her time to find the perfect one. "I have something for you," she said, not wanting to wait until after dinner to give Emily her ring.

"Mmm," Emily hummed, smirking as she once again let her hands drop to grab JJ's ass. "Is it you?"

"In a manner of speaking," JJ allowed with an amused chuckle. She glanced over her shoulder at the timer on the microwave, and saw that they still had a little less than an hour before the lasagna she made was ready. "Come with me," she said, pulling away from Emily and taking the brunette's hand into her own.

Emily allowed JJ to lead her out of the kitchen, and smiled when she saw the dining room table set to the nines with flowers and tapered crimson candles set in crystal candelabras. "It's beautiful, Jen."

"I'm glad you think so," JJ murmured, leaving Emily standing beside the sofa as she wandered over to the mantel. She licked her lip as she reached behind a photo of her and Emily at Charlie's vineyard on the fourth of July, two days before they had headed out to Oregon and their entire world fell apart, and swallowed thickly as her fingers closed around a small, velvet box. She knew that it was ridiculous for her to be nervous, but she was.

Emily watched JJ reach behind her favorite picture of the two of them, and her breath caught when she spied a small, unmistakable box in the blonde's hand when she turned around. In all honesty, she had not expected this. Had not, truthfully, ever even considered it. She was content to see JJ wear the ring she had given her, but never had she expected to be given one as well. Not until their wedding, anyways. She had never been a girly-girl. Had never dreamed of the perfect engagement ring. Hell, she had never thought she would ever even get married until she met JJ, and then her imagination had run wild even as she tried to resist imagining any kind of a happily ever after type future for herself and the Media Liaison. "Jennifer…"

"I…" JJ cleared her throat softly, a small smile lifting her lips as she walked back to Emily, the ring box in her hand feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. Really, she knew that it was ridiculous, but she could not help but be nervous. "I know that this is unforgivably late and that I should have done this much, much sooner," she began, palming the box in her left hand as she reached up with her right to run a gentle finger over Emily's lips that were quirked up in the most adorable shy smile she had ever seen. "But I was more concerned about you, than making sure I got you a ring. A ring seemed unimportant with everything else that was going on, and I…I suck," she said, rolling her eyes and flashing a wry smile.

"Hardly," Emily murmured, shaking her head.

"I'm glad you don't think so," JJ said. "Anyways, even though we've done this twice already, and ignoring our conversation from earlier, I'm going to do it again. I'm going do it right." She took a deep breath and ran her thumb over the crease where the box lid hinged, wishing she could remember at least some of what she had said to Emily back in the hospital. It would be a nice bit of symmetry to phrase each proposal similarly, but she had been too exhausted when she had done this the first time to remember a word she had said. "I thought I knew what love was before I met you, but I hadn't a clue. Because what we share is something so strong and so deep, that I can feel it in my bones. You are my soul mate, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Please say that you'll marry me?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Emily said, smiling, touched that JJ would even think to make such a production of proposing for the second time.

"I got you a ring," JJ said, flipping the box lid open and pulling out a thin band. It was inset with diamonds and sapphires, the stones alternating in a platinum band that matched the ring on her left hand, and the minute she saw it, she knew it was the one. It was simple, understated in its elegance, and perfect for Emily, who she knew did not want a more traditional engagement solitaire like the one she was wearing.

"It's beautiful," Emily whispered, licking her lips as she looked down at the ring in JJ's hand.

Live. Be happy.

JJ smiled and took Emily's left hand into her own. "I love you," she whispered as she slid the ring onto Emily's finger, where she knew it would stay for the rest of their lives.

"I love you, Jennifer," Emily breathed. She wrapped her right hand around the back of JJ's neck and drew the blonde in for a slow, sweet kiss. A low hum rumbled in the back of her throat at the feeling of JJ's body melting into her own, and she licked her lips when they pulled apart, noses nuzzling together as they lingered in the moment.

Live. Be happy.

Emily smiled and brushed a soft kiss across JJ's lips. "I guess this means we have a wedding to plan."


End file.
